


But You Could Stay

by pandorabox82



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2020-10-11 06:58:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 40,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20541989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pandorabox82/pseuds/pandorabox82
Summary: After Haley's murder, Penelope finds herself falling for Hotch, but when he decides to fake Emily's death, she finds that she can't forgive him for his lies. Will Erin be able to mend that relationship, or will something entirely new be born from the ashes?





	1. Chapter 1

"Did you want me to leave before Strauss gets here?" Penelope asked as she looked up from where she was playing cars with Jack. Ever since Haley had been murdered by Foyet, she had been floundering for a way to help Hotch, to pick up some of the burden of everyday life, so that he didn't have so much on his plate. She knew that an inquest was going to happen, their Section Chief had already informed her of that when she had requested all the files and paperwork associated with the Reaper and what had happened, but she didn't know what the outcome of everything would be. They had all made their missteps in the case, she knew that much, and she just hoped that Chief Strauss would be somewhat forgiving of them, given the outcome of the case.

"I really don't care what she thinks, Garcia. You've been a friend to me and Jack these last few months, when he was in WitSec with Haley, and if she tries to make this into something lurid, I'll stand up for you."

She nodded a little as she reached out and wrapped her hand around his wrist, wanting to let him know that she understood, that she would always be there for him. Even if he didn't know that she had had a crush on him ever since the Fisher King case, when he had stood up for her against the words that Gideon had thrown at her. She had known then, that even though he was married, she would always have a tender place in her heart for him, no matter that nothing could ever happen between them. So, she had nourished their friendship, growing it slowly so that it would last. She had settled for a relationship with Kevin, knowing that he was a pale substitute for Hotch.

"Daddy? When's Mommy coming home?"

They both turned their attention to him, and Penelope felt her eyes well up with tears as Aaron took a seat next to his son and pulled him into a warm hug. Just as he was about to start speaking, someone knocked at the door, and she knew that it was Strauss. Giving him a small nod, she got up from her chair and went to the door, peeping through the hole to make certain that it was the woman in question. It was her, and Penelope took a moment to admire how she looked, professional, and yet with some warmth that was lacking in the office. Taking in a deep breath, she unlocked the door and then opened it, hoping that the smile on her face was genuine and not scared.

"I was not expecting to see you here, Ms Garcia," she said coolly as she swept into the apartment, shrugging out of her jacket and handing it to her.

"Yes, well, Jessica has been handling a lot of the estate details, so I thought that I would help Hotch out by bringing by breakfast for the next few day, at least until after the funeral. I know that you've been asked to have us stand down until after the inquest, so this was an easy decision to make. I can assure you, everything has been completely proper."

The woman relaxed a little, giving her a small nod as she made her way over to the table and took a seat across from Jack and Hotch. "How are you doing?" she asked, sounding completely sincere, and Penelope was touched to see the look of concern on her face.

"Thanks to Jessica and Penelope, we're holding it together, as best as we can. Say hello to Mrs Strauss, Jack."

"Hello, Mrs Strauss," the boy lisped out, and Penelope watched as the woman seemed to melt affectionately at that greeting. She remembered that she had three children of her own, and that likely impacted how she was reacting to Jack.

"If you two want to talk, I can take Jack to the park and we can give you some privacy."

Strauss looked up at her, and Penelope felt pinned by her gaze, as if she could read her thoughts. For a moment, she was certain that Strauss was going to shoot back some flippant reply, but then there was a moment when the mask slipped, and Penelope saw that she was struggling, just like they were, to comprehend what had happened to Haley. Then, she blinked, and the mask was back in place, and a cool nod was all the answer she received. "That might be nice, Penelope, thank you."

"All right, we'll be back in thirty minutes, and I'll bring back coffee and sandwiches for us all."

Strauss looked like she was about to disagree, but Hotch preempted her by speaking first. "That would be great, because I think that we're going to have to discuss the inquest when you return, in order to get all the details ironed out. I'd imagine that the Director doesn't want us grounded for too long, after all." Strauss nodded, and Penelope gave her a small smile before holding her hand out to Jack. He slipped off his chair and took hold of it, allowing her to lead him over to the door and put his shoes on before they slipped on their jackets and headed out.

"Aunt Penelope, why did the bad man hurt Mommy?"

She paused at the bottom of the steps, crouching down so that she was almost at eyelevel with him. "There are bad people in this world who like to hurt others, and there are a lot of reasons for why they do it. In your mommy's case, it was because the bad man wanted to hurt your daddy as much as he could, because he could. And your daddy knew that if you didn't work the case with him, then the bad man would have hurt you as well. He did everything he could to protect you and get to your mommy on time. We just couldn't make it work. I am so sorry." There were tears clogging her throat as she wrapped him into a tight hug, trying not to hurt him as she struggled to keep from crying.

"Oh," Jack replied before closing his arms around her neck. She took this as her cue to carry him, and once they were outside, she turned towards the park, knowing that it wouldn't be that long a walk. As she watched Jack play on the swing set, she pulled her personal cellphone out of her pocket and took a few pictures of him before ordering coffee and sandwiches to be delivered to the apartment in thirty minutes. Jack finally seemed to get tired, right around the time she wanted to head home, and he ran up to her, taking hold of her hand. "I want to go home now, Aunt Penelope. I'm getting hungry."

"Well, that's perfect, since I ordered food to be delivered right around the time that we get back." She gave him a warm smile as she got to her feet and they walked back to the apartment. She tried to keep him focused with her conversation, but felt like she wasn't getting anywhere, as he gave her monotone answers.

Finally, they were back, and she met the delivery people at the stoop, paying them before taking hold of the bags and drink tray while Jack opened the door for her. It was a quiet trip up the elevator, and then she was using her foot to knock on the door, not wanting to jostle or spill anything in her hands. Surprisingly, Strauss answered the door, and she gave the older woman a relieved smile. "I hope you don't mind, but I called our usual coffee shop and ordered from there, since they knew your typical order. I didn't want to get something you didn't like, after all."

"That was very kind of you, Ms Garcia."

"Penelope, please, while we're here. I don't like to feel like I'm at work when I'm off the clock," she replied offhandedly as she brought the bags over to the table. Jack took a seat next to his father, giving her a wide smile, and Penelope smiled back as she went into the kitchen and got him a glass of juice to go with his food. By the time she returned to the table, Strauss and Hotch were once more talking lowly, and she felt a little awkward to take a seat across from Jack, not wanting to interrupt the conversation.

"All right, Penelope, as I was saying to Aaron earlier, I want to start the inquest tomorrow. I know that that is late notice, but since you gave me all the information I needed, and ensured that it was organized so coherently, a lot of the questions that I will be asking are a matter of routine. I will apologise if I seem brusque in the interview, but I must appear impartial to everyone gathered so that no other questions are raised."

"I completely understand, ma'am," she replied as she unwrapped her sandwich, picking up half and taking a bite before sipping at her coffee. "I will call Morgan, JJ and Emily to let them know, if you want to call Rossi and Reid, Hotch."

"I think that I can handle that." He gave her a warm smile, one that caused butterflies to dance in her stomach, and she fought hard to keep the blush from staining her cheeks, since Strauss was sitting right next to her, watching everything. "Did you enjoy the park, Jack?"

As Jack nodded and began to tell Hotch all about what he had done there, Penelope glanced over at Strauss and found that there was an almost gentle smile on her lips. It was a notable change from her usual demeanor, and Penelope made a soft, pleased, sound in the back of her throat, catching the woman's attention, As her gaze darted over to Penelope, she made certain to keep a soft, open, expression on her face, to let Strauss know that everything was all right, and that she wouldn't say anything about what she had witnessed here today. The fleeting smile she received in return warmed her heart, while also sending a fresh cloud of butterflies dancing around in her stomach, and she hoped that this would signal the start of a sweet friendship between them.


	2. Chapter 2

Penelope came into work early the day after the inquest, hoping to catch either Hotch or Strauss come in. She felt like she had a thousand questions for each of them, and there was no good way to ask them, except if she could catch them alone. Unfortunately, it seemed like Hotch wasn't going to come in, since his office door was still locked, the lights turned off, and she frowned a little as she went down to the break room to fill her mug.

To her surprise, Strauss was in there, a mug in her hands, and she startled a little as she tripped over the air. "Shit," she muttered to herself, reaching out to grab hold of a chair to stop herself from completely falling flat on her face.

"Are you all right, Ms Garcia?"

"Just my usual clumsy self, ma'am. How are you this morning?"

There was a brief pause, and she frowned a little as she went over to the coffee maker and filled her mug, taking a sip before adding a little creamer to cut some of the bitterness. "I was hoping that David would be a little early this morning, since I need to inform him that Aaron is taking a short leave of absence to deal with some things. I would have liked him to have taken a month, as I had already worked that amount of time off with the Director, but he was insistent that he only needed a week or two."

"Well, I know that he and Rossi are really good friend. Maybe he already called his to let him know?"

"Perhaps. But you're here early. Is everything all right with you?"

She swallowed thickly before looking down into her mug. "Actually, I was hoping to catch either you or Aaron, but you've already managed to answer the question I had, following the inquest. Except…"

"Yes?"

"I guess I don't know what the purpose of the whole exercise was? I felt like it was a foregone conclusion that you would side with what Hotch did, since he was protecting Jack from that monster."

An odd look passed across Strauss's face, as if she was trying to think of something that would appease Penelope, before she opened her mouth to speak. "I know that you probably won't believe me, but I hate playing the politics game. I'm good at it, because that has been my job for the last two decades, but I don't like it. And your team is more than a little reckless, which has drawn the eyes of the wrong people, and as much as I despise the game, I had to play along and make it seem like I was much harsher than I truly felt. You're right, I did know the outcome that I wanted from the start, but I had to guide the others to that realization."

Anderson bustled into the break room just then, humming lowly, and Strauss quit speaking, her mask slamming back into place, and Penelope felt her heart throb painfully at the knowledge that Strauss felt like she couldn't be open and honest with everyone in the BAU. Still, it made sense, since she had to at least appear like she was in charge and aloof, in order to maintain respect for her position. "Thank you for answering my questions, Chief Strauss. I really appreciate your taking time out of your busy morning to meet with me here," Penelope said as she gave her a knowing smile.

"Any time, Ms Garcia. And if you need any further questions answered, please feel free to come see me in my office."

They nodded to each other as Strauss left, and Anderson gave her an odd look. "What?" she asked as she took a seat at the table, trying to calm her breathing, since she didn't want to arouse any suspicion. Anderson, while nice, was a bit of a gossip, and she didn't want a false rumor that she was carrying on some sort of torrid affair with her supervisor. That was the last thing either of them needed.

"I have never seen Strauss that relaxed talking to one of us," he replied as he took a seat at the table as well. "Are you some sort of miracle worker?"

A soft giggle escaped her lips as she shook her head. "I think that Haley's murder really threw her for a loop, just like everyone on our team. You and Gina helped us out so much with the legwork for that case, and I never took the opportunity to say thank you. It's just been so busy, and I've been trying to help Hotch out with Jack, and it sort of slipped through the cracks. So, thank you for helping us out in our hour of need."

She drew in a shaky breath as she brought her mug to her lips, taking a long sip as she tried not to burst into tears. Anderson reached across the table and covered her free hand with his, squeezing gently but insistently, trying to get her attention. Finally, she looked up into his eyes, and saw that he was giving her a tender look. "Hey, none of us wanted that outcome, we were all rooting for you to get to Foyet before he hurt Haley or Jack. I'm just glad that his son was able to hide well enough that he wasn't physically hurt."

Penelope nodded as she took another sip of coffee. "Well, since I'm here early, I might as well start my systems up and get a jump on everything." Anderson smiled at her as she rose to her feet, bustling from the room. She still felt off kilter, as if she had revealed too much of herself to Anderson, and she settled behind her desk and just stared at the monitors, not ready for the day to begin. Letting out a long breath, she pressed the start button on her main computer before repeating the process on the rest of her system. As everything came to life, she pulled out her phone and called Hotch, wanting to touch base with him before she got distracted with work for the day.

"Hey, Garcia."

"Boss Man! I thought that I'd just check in with you before I became busy with the work of the day. Strauss and I were talking this morning, miracle of miracles, I know, but she mentioned that you were taking leave. I'm really glad that you've made that decision, since it will be good to spend a lot of time with Jack as you transition back to him being with you all the time. Listen, I'm not going to go out in the field until you get back, because I want to be here, if you should need anything. I know, you have Jessica, and she's going to want to spend a lot of time with you, too. But, I just can't help but feel like this was partially my fault, since I didn't work things out as quickly as I should have. I shouldn't have allowed him to get that close to Haley, and while I don't want to coopt your grief, I can't help but feel so much guilt."

"Then we're in the same boat, because I feel that guilt just as deeply."

"It sucks, and I know that that feeling is even deeper for you, because she was your wife. Just, well, would you mind if I brought supper over a few nights this week? I want to help support you and Jack and Jessica."

There was a short pause, and she heard Jack in the background asking for breakfast. "That would be very nice, Penelope. We would all really enjoy that. Jessica is planning on coming over tomorrow, so why don't we make plans for tomorrow evening? I'll text you tomorrow with what kind of pizza Jack likes, and we'll watch a movie while we eat?"

"Sounds like a plan, Aaron." She felt weird using his first name, but went with it, since he had used her, and then she looked at the clock. "All right, well, I need to get to work now, so I will see you tomorrow. Have a good day!"

"You, too," he replied before ending the call. She sighed a little as she leaned back in her chair, smiling dreamily as she tried to find the focus to get down to work. As she hummed her favourite song, she opened her work mail and began to go through it, sorting out what she needed to take care of right away from what could wait.

"Morning, Kitten!"

She turned and grinned at Rossi, beckoning him into her office. "Hi! Strauss said that you were going to be in charge for however long Hotch decides to take leave for. She was hoping that it would be for a month, but we both know that Hotch won't stay away that long."

"Since when did you become so close to Erin?" he teased, and she blushed a little as she shrugged. "Kitten, it's okay. She's not quite the ogre that a lot of people here make her out to be. I'm glad that you were able to talk to her."

"Yeah, she just seemed really bothered by Haley's death, but didn't know how to show it. So, if I'm a little kinder to her, do you think she'll be okay with that?"

Rossi nodded as he rested his hand on her shoulder. "I think that it would be good for Erin to have someone who treats her kindly here. She hasn't always had the easiest time here, after all."

Penelope desperately wanted to ask what he was talking about, but she also didn't want to pry into Strauss's personal business. She supposed, if she did act friendly towards the woman, that it might lead to her finding out more about her in a natural way. So instead, she just nodded and rose to her feet, knowing that he would most likely have to take notes for the next case they were about to go out on.


	3. Chapter 3

As Penelope stepped onto the elevator the next evening, she managed to catch Strauss's eyes as she briskly walked towards her office. Without thinking, she raised her hand and waved to the woman, an easy smile on her lips. And then, their Section Chief was giving her a small wave in return, a tiny smile on her lips. In that moment, Penelope was struck by just how lovely she was, and that same flutter of butterflies came to life in her stomach once more. Shoving that feeling aside, she instead focused on the evening ahead. She had already placed their pizza order, and had made certain to get breadsticks and one of the dessert options as well, knowing that it was better to be overprepared, especially in this situation.

When she arrived at the pizza shop, her order was just being boxed, and she smiled at the good timing that she had had. After paying, she carried the boxes out to her car and placed them in her front seat before making the rest of the drive to Hotch's apartment. Though she didn't want to appear like she was creeping on him, she did choose to park in the empty spot next to his, since it was a familiar sight for her. Taking a deep breath, she got out of the car, slinging her purse across her body before picking up the boxes and heading into the apartment building.

It was a quiet ride up to his floor, since no one joined her, and Penelope used the opportunity to daydream about her future. She knew that she should be sad that she had Kevin had decided to take a break, but she found that that only allowed her to think about Aaron more. A very large part of her wanted to comfort him and to be free if he should ever look twice at her. Not that he probably would, not when he had beautiful women like Jessica in his life. Letting out a soft sigh, she stepped out of the elevator and made her way over to his apartment, and once outside his door, Penelope took a deep breath to steady herself, allowing a soft smile to grace her features as she knocked on it.

From behind the door, she could hear Jack's excited feet barrel towards the door, and a true grin split her lips as the door was yanked open. "Aunt Penelope! We've been waiting for you for forever!" he exclaimed as he waved her inside. "Dad said that we're going to eat in front of the television tonight, since it's a special occasion, and I got to choose the movie. I picked _Wall__•E_! I wanted to watch both of the Narnia movies, but Dad said there wasn't enough time for that, since you and Aunt Jessica have to work tomorrow."

She giggled as she nodded, following him inside. Aaron took the boxes from her hands as he closed and locked the door. "He's right, unfortunately we do have to make money, Jackers. Perhaps if this had been a Friday, we could have watched those two movies. But this way, we can have something to look forward to in a few weeks."

He nodded a little before hugging her tightly. "I like the sound of that." He took hold of her hand and began to tug her over to the couch. Jessica was already sitting there, and she glanced up at them, giving her little wave as Jack plopped down next to her. "You have to sit with us, Aunt Penelope. Daddy can squeeze in next to you, don't worry!"

She lifted her eyebrows at Jessica, watching the other woman purse her lips together in an effort to keep from bursting out into a fit of giggles. "All right, Jackers," she said as she sat next to him, hoping that she had left enough room for Aaron.

"What's this? I have to sit on the end of the sofa?" Aaron asked as he carried in a stack of plates and napkins, setting them on the coffee table.

"Yes! And I want three pieces of pizza, Daddy, and soda!"

"One of those things is not happening," he archly replied, and Jack glowered at him. "And that pout will not get you anywhere."

"Fine. One piece and soda?"

"Yes. Start the movie up, and I'll get everything together for us."

Penelope rubbed Jack's arm before getting to her feet. "I'll help you, Hotch. That way we can both enjoy the movie sooner rather than later." He nodded, a quick look of relief passing over his face before he went over to the kitchen. She followed at his heels, humming quietly as she went. "I may have gone a little overboard, especially for just four of us, but it was an excuse to get cheesy bread and a dessert pizza. I'm sorry?"

"Don't be, this will feed us tomorrow night, too, so it will work out perfectly." He went over to the fridge and pulled out a two liter of cola. "I hope that you don't drink diet, because Jack is sensitive to artificial sweeteners."

"Regular will be fine for one night. Though I haven't drank soda in ages, unless it's mixed with rum. And seeing as how I have to drive home tonight, that is definitely not an option." He let out a little laugh, and she giggled along with him as she took the bottle from his outstretched hands. "I take it you're going to pour the soda in here?"

"I thought that would be for the best," he replied as he opened a cupboard and pulled out three glasses and a covered cup, filling them with ice before giving them to her. She set the bottle on table and opened it before pouring the soda. Once they were all full, she covered Jack's cup with its cover before grabbing them all and bringing them into the living room and setting them onto the coffee table. Aaron was right behind her with the boxes, and as he set them on the table, she took a seat and allowed Jack to cuddle in close to her as Jessica started the movie.

During the opening credits, Aaron served the food, save for the dessert pizza, and she tried to sigh as quietly as possible when he sank down into the sofa next to her. Still, she couldn't cover up the little squeak that escaped her lips when his thigh touched hers, and she felt the butterflies rise up in her stomach as he dropped his arm around her shoulders, unconsciously pulling her closer to his side as they focused on the movie.

It had been a while since she had taken time to watch a kid movie, but she found herself surprisingly engaged with the story being told, not commenting when Jack stretched himself out over her and Jessica's laps. Instead, she just started to drag her fingers through his hair, trying not to tug too hard. Still, by the end of the movie, Jack was fast asleep, and she sighed a little when he turned and cuddled in close to her. "Do you want me to move him?" Aaron murmured in her ear, and she shook her head.

"He's fine, and I want to finish the movie," she whispered in return, and he nodded as they turned their attention back to the last few minutes of the movie. When it was over, Jessica was the first to get to her feet, easily picking Jack up in her arms and carrying him out of the room. "He's so adorable, Aaron. How is he coping?"

"I don't think that he really understands that Haley is gone for good. I think that he's under the assumption that she was just hurt by Foyet, and that she'll come back when she's better. I've been trying to figure out how to get him to know that she's never coming back, and I'm coming up blank."

She nodded as she allowed her head to come to rest on his chest. "Please don't take this the wrong way, but have you thought about finding a therapist for him? I've heard that there are some really great ones out there that work with children for this sort of thing, and it might help him to come to terms with Haley's absence."

He nodded a little, not commenting on the fact that she was very much in his personal space. She tried not to feel awkward about thigs as she realized that it would not look very good if Jessica walked in at them like this, but then again, they were friends, and it wasn't like they were doing anything particularly untoward. "If you would like to research a good one for me, Penelope, I would very much appreciate that."

"Of course, and I'll send you that information as soon as I have it. But I should probably be headed out now. There's still some things I need to get finished tonight before I sleep."

She got to her feet, unsurprised to see that he did the same, guiding her to the door. "If you don't mind, I think that Jack might like having another movie night on Friday, and it will help him adjust to the fact that I'll be coming back to work the following Monday."

"So soon?"

"It has to be. I need to work, to fill the hours up with something besides thinking about Haley and how I failed her when she needed me most." His eyes were suddenly wet with unshed tears, and before she could stop herself, Penelope closed him in a tight hug. "I loved her, you know. And her last words to me were to tell me that I needed to find love again, to let Jack know that there is still good in this world. How can I do that when all I can see is the misery and despair that Foyet wrought."

"That's why you have friends, Aaron. We'll be here to help you find that sweetness and light in life once more." Turning her face, she kissed his cheek before stepping back and giving him a warm smile. "And if you need anything, at any time, don't hesitate to call. I probably keep the weirdest sleeping hours out of all of us, and I am always up for listening to my friends when they need to vent. Okay?"

"Okay," he replied softly, the look on his face so lost and sad. "Dave said that he'd listen to me, too."

"Good. We won't let anything drag you down into a quagmire, we'll make certain that you keep your promise to Haley," she whispered before turning and scurrying over to the stairwell, needing to escape his presence before she went and did something truly stupid. Still, she knew that it would take everything in her to get ready for Friday and her next time with him and Jack.


	4. Chapter 4

Friday morning came much sooner than she anticipated, and Penelope felt like anyone who looked at her could tell that she was antsy for the end of the day. Still, she tried to focus on her work, knowing that she had to act like everything was normal. She hadn't heard anything from Aaron since Wednesday afternoon, when she had forwarded him a list of three therapists that she thought would be a good fit for Jack and his needs. He had sent back a thank you, but other than that, there was no indication that he had called one of the therapists, or not.

Shaking her head a little, Penelope got up from her desk and made her way to the bathroom, needing a slight change of scenery. Not looking where she was going, she barged into the bathroom, only to bump into a warm body. Looking up, she locked eyes with Strauss, feeling a deep flush stain her cheeks. "Oh, my god, I am so sorry, Ma'am. My head is in the clouds today, and I totally did not see you there. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Ms Garcia. But what has you distracted?"

That was a loaded question, and she worried her lip a little as they entered the bathroom, Penelope leaning her back against the wall by the mirrors as she regarded her boss. "Jack asked Hotch if I would come over tonight and watch movies with him. I know, it's skirting the frat rules, but I couldn't find it in my heart to tell him no. That little boy has been through so much in the last few months."

Strauss cocked her head to one side as she regarded Penelope, and the smile that started to spread across Penelope's face was a shy one, similar to the expression she wore when she left Aaron's apartment Tuesday evening, and she again felt conflicted about the way that being in the woman's presence made her feel. "I told Agent Hotchner, while you were at the park with Jack, that I would give him whatever leeway he needed to start feeling normal once more. And if you feel that it is truly helping Jack out, I won't say anything. However, like I told you before, your team is always under an extreme amount of scrutiny. You will need to tread carefully if you decide to continue this friendship. And I must stress that there can be nothing more than friendship between the two of you. If there comes a time when you feel like it might be something more than friendship, you'll have to come to me immediately, so that I can smooth things over with the Director."

There was a tight look on the woman's face, as if she had been down this road once before and the outcome had not been pleasant for her, and Penelope nodded a little as she soaked in those words and that look. "I will certainly do that, Chief Strauss. However, I think that Hotch still loves Haley, and isn't ready to think about anyone in a romantic light. Being his friend at this moment in time is all that I'm looking for." Suddenly, she didn't feel the need to pee any longer, instead, wanting to talk further with Strauss. "Do you mind if I wash my hands and then join you in your office to discuss this further?"

Strauss's eyebrow ticked up a little before she nodded and then exited the bathroom. Penelope hurriedly washed her hands and dried them as best she could before following after Strauss, zooming past her assistant before closing the door to her office and taking a seat in front of her desk, watching her intently. "What else did you wish to discuss with me?"

"I wanted to ask you, in private, how you're handling this. I know, it's an impertinent question, but I feel like everyone on our team is so focused on Hotch and ourselves, that no one really thought to consider how you're dealing with this. I don't want to pry, but I do want to touch base."

Strauss blinked a few times, like she had when she had interrogated Penelope during the inquest, and she knew that meant she was close to tears. Concern welled up in her chest as she leaned forward to look into the woman's eyes, smiling softly. "I will be fine, Ms Garcia. But I do thank you for your concern."

Penelope didn't want to let it drop, knowing that Erin was keeping her emotions bottled up tightly, and that was never a good thing. "Being fine in time is okay, but do you have a safe person to reach out to? Hotch has Dave, I have Derek, but is there someone that you trust to vent to?"

Strauss licked her lips as she looked away from Penelope. "Yes." The answer was too quick, too short, to be true, and Penelope just stared at her, hoping that the direct gaze would unnerve her enough so that she would tell her the truth. "That look doesn't work on me, Penelope. I trained as a profiler, and I'm raising three children, so that is a look that I am quite familiar using."

"Oh," Penelope murmured as she looked down at her lap. "Well, it goes without saying that if you do ever need an impartial ear to listen to you, my door is always open. After all, I can't judge you for something I know nothing about!"

She glanced up furtively, wondering how the woman would react to that tiny olive branch. For the briefest of moments, a smile flitted across her lips, and then it was gone, and her neutral look was in place once more. "I will keep that in mind. Now, I'm sorry, but I do have quite a bit of work to get finished today before the budget meeting at two."

Penelope knew that she was being dismissed, and she gave the woman a small nod as she rose to her feet and made her way over to the door. "I hope that the meeting goes well. I know that listening to a bunch of people telling you that you're spending too much money. And I'm still looking for a way to cut corners so that I can get my team tablets, since I still say that it would save us money in the long run."

A light trill of laughter filled the room as she opened the door, about to step out. "If you can find the extra money, you will be a miracle worker, Ms Garcia."

It wasn't said meanly, in fact, there was a real warmth in the words, and she smirked a little as she nodded, heading out of the office and back to the bullpen with a light step. Though she was still nervous about spending a long evening with Aaron and Jack, the little back and forth with Strauss had strangely put a major part of her nerves at ease, as if by not pretending that she was going around behind her back, they had formed a sort of understanding that Penelope hoped would help things along, if Aaron did ever reciprocate the tender feelings that she had in her heart for him. A part of her was still torn about why she felt like she needed Strauss to like her, and why her heart had felt strangely light when the woman had called her by her given name earlier, but she tried not to dwell on that while she got back down to work.

That concentration lasted all of thirty minutes, until her phone vibrated against her desk, and she picked it up to see who had contacted her. A brilliant smile lit up her features when she saw that Aaron had finally texted her back. Opening her messages, she pressed on his name, and quickly read what he had sent. _Jack wanted me to let you know that he's made cookies for you tonight. Don't worry, he had a lot of help from Jessica. If you can get away from the office, please try to arrive at the apartment by six. And bring a bottle of wine. I figure, between the three of us, we can drink it and still have you sober enough to drive home without worry, especially since the movies will run until around 10. If Jack makes it that late. We'll see you tonight._

Letting out a little sigh of pleasure, she tapped out a quick reply to him, affirming that she would be there as close to six as possible, and that she would grab a bottle of red wine on her way over. Then, she put the phone away, knowing that it would just distract her endlessly if she had it close at hand for the rest of her shift. Shaking out her shoulders, Penelope looked at her list of things to accomplish and began to research the information that the international team needed from her. Since it wasn't time sensitive, she had left it until today, so that they could look it over during the weekend. And once that was done, she could go on to the twenty other things that she needed to finish before the end of day, when she could escape and be with Aaron, Jack, and Jessica.


	5. Chapter 5

Penelope smiled as she stopped in front of Aaron's door, raising her fist to knock firmly. This time, she didn't hear Jack run for the door, and she frowned a little, wondering if something had happened between when she had gotten Aaron's text and now. Drawing in a deep breath, she began to fumble with her purse to grab her phone when the door opened to reveal Aaron, and she let out that breath in a little groan of surprise. "I, I thought that Jack would get the door," she stammered out as he beckoned her inside.

"There was a slight problem," he said as she toed out of her heels, losing a few inches to him. Looking up into his face, she noticed the stubble on his chin, telling her that he hadn't bothered shaving that day. It gave him a rugged sort of look, but she wasn't entirely certain that she liked it. Aaron shuffled in place, giving her a sheepish look, and she smiled as she handed over the bottle of wine for him to open. "I lost track of time and burnt what we were going to have for supper, so Jessica and Jack ran out for Thai food."

"That happens to the best of us," she replied as they went into the kitchen, and she took a seat at the table as she watched him pull out his wine key and quickly tug the cork out of the bottle before pouring it into three glasses. "What were we supposed to eat?"

"I had made stuffed chicken breasts, using a recipe from my grandmother. It's an easy thing, so don't worry that I went too far out of my way for tonight," he teased, and she nodded as she gave him a wide smile. He returned the expression as he brought two glasses over to her side, taking a seat in the chair next to her.

Penelope took hold of the glass he held out to her, their fingers brushing, and she shivered a little at the gentle touch. As she let out a soft sigh, she leaned in towards him, feeling drawn to him. He closed the small distance between them, brushing his lips against hers in a quick kiss as the door to the apartment opened. They pulled back from each other, and Penelope knew that she was blushing deeply as she picked up her wine and took an almost frantic gulp as she heard Jack tumble into the apartment. "Aunt Penelope! We're finally back with food! I hope you like chicken pad Thai, since that's what we got."

Jack ran into the kitchen, hugging her tightly before taking a seat at the table, across from them. Aaron got up and grabbed plates out of the cupboard, setting them on the table as Jessica joined them, her hands full. "We also got spring rolls and gyoza. And of course, there are Jack's cookies for dessert, but I have the feeling that we'll eat those while we're watching the movies. It's good to see you again, Penelope." Jessica gave her a friendly smile as she set the bags on the table before leaning in and hugging her quickly, brushing her cheek against Penelope's. "Jack has been looking forward to this all day."

"I'm glad that he has something to look forward to," she replied as she helped Jessica set the containers of food out on the table, removing the lids and handing them to Aaron as Jessica handed out chopsticks for them to use. She wasn't surprised to see that Aaron had also thought enough to grab a serving spoon for the pad Thai, and she gave him a small wink as he took his seat next to her once more. They were soon eating, and she found herself engaged in a great conversation with Jessica as Aaron and Jack talked about what they were going to do tomorrow.

"If you two want to get the movies set up, Penelope and I will clean up in here," Jessica said as the meal came to a close. Penelope gave her a questioning look, and the woman shook her head a little. Taking a shallow breath, Penelope rose to her feet, gathering up the leftovers as Jack and Aaron made their way out to the living room. "So, I just wanted to tell you that I know you have feelings for Aaron. And I know that you've been trying to keep them under wraps for longer than you want to admit. Haley told me that you were able to let him keep tabs on Jack while they were in WitSec, and I always found that the sweetest gesture. And I know that Aaron still loves Haley, but I want him to be able to feel free enough to move on, and I'd rather it be with you, since Jack clearly adores you. Though I think that the over the top Christmas gifts have helped in that regard."

Once more, she blushed, and Jessica reached out to rub her shoulder lightly. "I only go over the top because I don't have children of my own. And I'm not likely to have any, since I was shot."

"Oh!" All mirth fled from Jessica's face as she crossed over to her side and wrapped her in a tight hug. "I didn't know that that had affected your fertility."

"Yeah. Lucky me, huh?" Her eyes filled with tears, and Jessica rubbed her back a little before pulling away. "I never thought that I'd have children, but it was still nice to dream."

"Uh huh," Jessica murmured as she let her go. "Well, it's nice to have surrogate children as well. Because sometimes you just don't find yourself in the position to have them, no matter how many times you told your sister that you were going to raise your children together."

"Oh my god, Jess, that's so tragic!" she exclaimed. "Listen, I extended this offer to Aaron, and I want you to know, too, that if you need to talk, at any time, my ear is always open to you. You have my number, right?" she asked as she picked up the plate of cookies and gazed at the woman.

"I'll get it from you before we leave tonight," she murmured, and Penelope nodded as they went into the living room. Jack was sitting next to Aaron, and she gave them a soft smile as she took a seat next to Jack, grateful that that allowed her to sit next to Jessica as the movie started to play. Snagging two cookies off the plate, she held it out to the others before setting it on the coffee table and settling back on the sofa. Jack cuddled in close to her as the movie started, and she found the weight of his body a comforting thing as she watched. It had been so long since she had read the books, that the movie was almost like a fuzzy memory to her, though that feeling was soon gone as she watched.

Penelope found herself tearing up as they neared the end of the first movie, knowing what was coming, and yet still not wanting to see it on screen. She heard Jessica start to quietly cry, and it was in that moment she realized it had a deeper meaning for her, since the depiction of the sister bond between Lucy and Susan seemed to be striking a deep chord with the woman. Disentangling herself from Jack's embrace, she leaned over and wrapped her arm around Jessica's shoulders, allowing her to press her head against her chest as they finished out the movie like that.

The second movie wasn't quite as emotional, but she found herself dragging her fingers through Jessica's curly hair, soothing both of them as the movie wound out. Just like Aaron thought, Jack had fallen asleep with about thirty minutes left to the movie, and Aaron got up to take him to bed, which left her and Jessica to finish it up. By the time Aaron rejoined them, they were cleaning up the cookies and straightening the couch, though Jessica took the plate from her hand and disappeared into the kitchen, giving them some privacy. "This was really nice, Aaron," she said quietly as they drifted together, as if drawn to each other.

"It was. I'm glad that you've been willing to stay with us, it's really helped Jack transition back to living with me, and I've found myself growing fonder of you in these last few weeks." She nodded a little as she hummed lowly, catching her lower lip between her teeth as she continued to look into his eyes. "This isn't fair to you, you know. There's no way that we can…"

"Strauss said that as long as we came right to her, she could make something work. But I want to see how things progress first, because maybe we wouldn't be compatible. And you're still grieving Haley, so taking things slow will be better for us. I'm willing to wait, for something that's right." He nodded slightly before dipping his head and kissing her softly. "I'll see you at work on Monday?"

"Yes."

She gave him another quick peck on the cheek before making her way over to the door, stepping into her shoes as she waited for Jessica to join her. "Are you ready to head out?" she asked as Jessica shrugged into her jacket.

"Yeah. I wrote my number down on a scrap of paper for you, too," she replied as they left the apartment. Penelope smiled softly at her as they got into the elevator. "I figured that it would be easier than trying to give it to you outside in the cold."

"True. So, I know that Aaron is returning to work Monday. If you need any help, don't hesitate to call my office number." Jessica nodded, and Penelope slipped her hand into her purse to grab one of her cards. "Here, this will help you out. And I'll text you tonight once I'm home so that you have my personal number, too."

"Sounds good," Jessica said as she handed over her number, and Penelope hoped that this would be the start of a long friendship between them.


	6. Chapter 6

It had been two weeks since Aaron had returned to work, and Penelope wondered if he had remembered that Christmas was right around the corner. After all, he had had a lot more on his mind than the holiday, and it would make sense if he had forgotten. So once the team was on its way to Lockport, she called Jessica, knowing that she would most likely answer her call. "Is everything okay, Penelope?" the woman asked as she picked up.

"With the team, yes. I just wanted to ask a personal question, since you would definitely have the answer. Has Aaron prepared for Christmas at all? We're only a week and a half away from the holiday, and I know that with Jack being so young that it's an important day for him. I've already picked up a few small things for him, and you and Aaron, but is the apartment decorated? We haven't had time to see each other in the last two weeks, and I'm a little worried about my little man."

Jessica let out a soft laugh. "And by a few things, do you mean that you've bought out an entire toy store for Jack?"

"No, I knew that wouldn't be too appropriate just yet. I mean, I get away with spoiling Henry, because I'm his godmother, but there's not much room at the apartment for too much stuff."

There was a brief pause, as if Jessica was considering what she could tell Penelope or not. "Well, if you're not busy tonight after work, and for the rest of the current case, I could use your help with a special project for Jack. I'm decorating the house and moving everything in the apartment there while Aaron's gone. He wants it to be a surprise for Jack."

"They're moving back into the house?" she asked, a bit incredulous at that notion.

"I know that it will be hard for him to be there, but the repair work is finally finished, and he wants Jack to get back to some sense of normalcy. So that means returning to the house he grew up in, even though Haley died there. Believe me, I asked him what his reasoning was already, and that was his response. And I get it, I really do, even if it's going to be hard to be in that place once more. So, would you be willing to help me out?"

"Of course, Jessica. Should I meet you at the apartment or the house?"

"How about you start at the house and start decorating the living room for Christmas? I'll make certain that the tree is set up and ready for you to decorate. It will be easier for me to bring the things from the apartment over this afternoon, while Jack is still at school. Would you be up for having lunch with me, and I can give you the spare key to let yourself in?"

"That would work, too, and I'd love to have lunch with you."

"Great. I'll be there at 11:45?"

"Sounds like a plan. See you in a few hours." She hung up with Jessica and slipped her phone back into her purse as she focused on the task at hand, getting all the information that the team needed and sending it on before calling Kevin and asking for him to cover for her lunch break, since she assumed that they might get to talking, and she didn't want to rush the woman. After she had gotten him to agree, she sent a quick text to Derek, letting him know that she would be out of the office from noon until two, but he could text her if Kevin gave them any issues.

Around 11:30, she began to put her system to sleep, knowing that there most likely wouldn't be anything that her team needed before her lunch date. Pulling her purse out of the drawer, she went over to the door and grabbed her jacket, slipping into it before making her way down into the bullpen. "Heading out to lunch?" Anderson asked as she passed by his desk, and she paused to look at him, a smile on her lips.

"Yeah. A friend and I made plans for today, since we have some details to iron out about Christmas, since it's coming up so quickly. Actually, I do have a favor to ask you. I twisted Kevin's arm to get him to look after my team while I was away, but I'm worried about him giving Hotch and the others grief. Would you just check in on him every so often? I should be back by two."

"Ooh, you're giving me the opportunity to crack the whip? I will so take you up on that, Penelope." He winked at her, causing her to burst into a fit of giggles, and he tried to look innocent, failing miserably as he gave into his own giggles.

"Is this a private joke?"

Penelope stood up straight and turned to see Strauss standing there, a cool look on her features. "Not really, Anderson was just reacting a little too gleefully at being able to crack the whip over Kevin while I'm out for lunch. A friend and I are making plans for Christmas."

"I see. Well, if Mister Lynch gives you any problems, Agent Anderson, feel free to invoke my name in order to see results. Ms Garcia, may I walk with you to the elevators?" She nodded and gave Anderson a small wave before following Strauss out into the hall. "I know that it is getting very close to Christmas, but I'm hoping that you might have a little more luck than I have at getting my youngest's present. I am not nearly as well versed in the internet as I would like."

"Oh, of course! Just email me what you want me to find, and I will do my best to source it for you." She gave the woman a friendly smile, trying to cover the way her breath hitched in her throat when she gave her a relieved, beautiful, smile in return.

"Thank you. I may have left this way too long, and…"

Her voice trailed off, and Penelope couldn't help but notice the far away look that came over her eyes, the smile becoming tight and pained. "That's what a computer guru is for, don't you worry. And I'll be back around two, so make certain you send it over while I'm at lunch, and I can get right on that for you." Reaching out, she touched Strauss's upper arm, wanting to offer her solidarity in that moment. "Remember, my ear is always open. Derek says that I listen pretty well, even if I can't help but give advice."

"Again, thank you for the offer, but I'm fine. And I'll make certain to get that information to you as soon as I get back to my office."

Penelope nodded and stepped into the waiting elevator car, watching as Strauss strode off towards her office, her heels clacking heavily against the floor. Something had obviously upset her, and Penelope couldn't help but wonder what had happened. Letting out a soft sigh, she rode down to the lobby, and smiled as she watched Jessica enter the doors. Before she had to go through the hassle of security, Penelope rushed forward, giving her a warm hug before turning them to walk outside. "You're right on time!"

"I left early, just in case there was traffic, and of course there was. But I thought that I would see your office?"

"Eh, I had to talk to Anderson before I left, and then Strauss needed to speak with me, so I figured I'd just come down and wait, since I was out of my office already." Jessica nodded as she brought Penelope over to her car. "So, where are we going to?"

"I found this cute little café when I was out with a friend the other day. I hope that you like it."

Penelope nodded as she climbed into the passenger seat and settled back, smiling a little as they got under way. Jessica was listening to Queen, and it wasn't long before Penelope was quietly singing along to the current song, Jessica joining in. There was something so right about bonding with her, and Penelope wondered if she should go out and get something else for her for Christmas, something to match her interests a little better. "So, you have me until almost two, since I told Strauss that that was when I was planning to be back."

"Perfect. That means we can talk for a good long time. We'll just have to keep an eye on time. I wouldn't want her to yell at you."

"Well, I'm going to be trying to find a present for one of her children, so I think that I might get a little bit of leeway," she replied, a cheeky grin spreading across her face as she gave Jessica a small wink. Jessica giggled and nodded as she pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant. "All right, let's go eat and have a good chat," she said as she got out of the vehicle and followed Jessica to the door, looking forward to a good time with her friend.


	7. Chapter 7

Penelope couldn't believe that it was December twenty third already, and she was shutting down her systems for the last time that year. Since their team had worked over Thanksgiving, they had been given the entire holiday week off, much to her delight. After packing up her purse, she went to the door and turned the lights off, knowing that there would be so much to come back to but not minding, since she would catch up on some much needed rest, along with spending time with Aaron and Jack.

Opening the door to her office, she was startled to find that Strauss was standing there, her hand raised as if to knock. "Oh, ma'am, I didn't know that you were still here! It's almost seven."

"I had some things to finish before I head off on holiday. I just wanted to thank you again for saving Christmas for me. I am certain that Tabitha is going to love her gift." There was a soft blush staining the older woman's cheeks, and Penelope nodded a little as she stepped out onto the walkway before pulling her door closed and locking it. "And I bought you something as a tangible reminder of my gratitude."

Strauss thrust out a hand that clutched a rather large gift bag, and Penelope took hold of it, surprised with how heavy it was. But before she could say anything, the woman had spun around on her heel and was hurrying down the stairs and out into the hallway. Knowing that she couldn't run after the woman and create a scene, since that would embarrass her deeply, Penelope let out a deep sigh as she hugged the gift bag close to her chest before heading out to the elevators. Glancing down towards Strauss's office, she saw that there was still a light on there, and she was torn as to whether or not to check in on her. In the end, the elevator doors opening made her decision for her, and she got in, pressing the button for the ground floor.

Once she was safely in her car, Penelope had to fight the urge to open her gift, knowing that there would be time for that when she arrived home. Backing out of her spot, she drove home slowly, wrinkling her nose at the drizzle of rain that was striking her windshield. Because of the dreary weather, her drive took a little longer than normal, and it wasn't until she was safely in her apartment that she checked her phone, seeing that she had missed a call from Aaron. Smiling, she touched his name to call him back, bringing the phone to her ear. "Hey, sorry I missed your call. The weather was so yucky that I didn't want to take my eyes off the road to answer my phone. What did you want?"

"I have a question that I didn't want to ask while at work. Seeing as how this is Jack's first Christmas without Haley, I want to make things as happy for him as possible. Jessica's already agreed to this, but seeing as how you're the other constant in his life right now, I would really appreciate it if you could spend Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with us. Since we're going to be back in the house, there are two guest rooms available. That is, if you don't have plans with Morgan."

"He mentioned that he's going with Emily somewhere, actually. I think it's Atlantic City, something about a holiday sin to win tournament?"

"Why does that not surprise me?" he asked with a note of exasperation in his voice. "Those two will be the ruin of me, I swear."

She giggled a little as she plopped down onto the sofa, setting her feet on the coffee table as she made herself comfortable. "But, in answer to your question, I would be glad to spend that time with you and Jack. In fact, I think I have one or two more presents floating around in my trunk for him."

"More than what you've already placed under the tree?"

"Oh, you've seen that."

"Yes. You're going to spoil him like you do Henry, aren't you?"

She clucked her tongue a little before answering. "Well, that is entirely my prerogative. Oh, and I forgot to tell you! Strauss gave me a present to thank me for tracking down that book her daughter wanted. I wonder what she's going to say when she finds out that I had it personalized for Tabitha?"

"How did you manage to do that?"

She grinned as she looked at the bag Strauss had given her, her fingers itching to open it. "By using Rossi's publishing contacts to track down the author and ask if there was a way to get a copy of the book sent over from England. Though she may have been left with the opinion that I am besties with Strauss, since she seemed to think only someone close to Strauss would do something like that for her."

"You really are a miracle worker, Penelope."

"I try." She drew in a deep breath. "Um, do you think that we could go out and see a movie while we're off? Just the two of us?"

She knew that she was taking a risk, but since they hadn't really discussed where things were going between them, she wanted to take that risk. "I would like that. Dinner and a movie. I'll choose where we eat, you can choose the movie?"

"All right. Boxing Day sound all right?"

"Yeah. That way Jessica can take Jack to see Haley's side of the family. They, they really don't want anything to do with me right now, not that I blame them. So, we'll see you at the house tomorrow around four?"

"I'll be there with bells on."

He chuckled lowly, and she felt her heart lift a little at the sound. "Goodbye, Penelope."

"Good night, Aaron. Sleep well."

She ended the call and then looked at her gift once more. Now that the moment had come where she could open it, she found herself hesitating, though she couldn't say why. Finally, she shook her head and slid forward on the couch as she reached out for the bag. She marveled once more at the heft to the gift, and Penelope worried her bottom lip between her teeth as she reached into the bag and pulled out a beautifully wrapped box. A small frown spread across her face as she placed the box in her lap and looked into the bag, seeing another box in there as well. "Well aren't you just full of surprises Erin Strauss," she murmured as she pulled out the other box, setting it on the couch next to her. Then she looked to see if there was a card included, not surprised when she didn't see anything. After all, Penelope didn't particularly view the woman as being too sentimental, after all.

Letting out a soft breath, Penelope scooted back in the sofa once more before turning the wrapped gift over in her hands, looking for the taped seam so that she wouldn't have to tear the paper. As soon as she found it, Penelope slipped her nail beneath it, neatly slicing through it before unfolding the paper and setting it aside. As she looked at the box, she realized just how different her life was from Erin, since she knew that the boutique that the gift had came from was much more high end than she could ever afford. Slowly, she lifted the top off the box, a shocked gasp slipping from her lips as she gazed down at the gorgeous paperweight that was nestled in a bed of purple velvet. Slowly, she lifted it up and gazed at it through the light, watching it catch on facets of glitter inside the glass. She had never seen a paperweight that had a dragonfly inside it, and the delicacy of the artwork took her breath away.

Smiling a little, she set the paperweight on her coffee table before picking up the other box. This one wasn't quite as heavy as the paperweight, and it rattled just a little, increasing her curiosity of what was inside. Penelope forced herself to take just as much care with that paper as the previous gift, and then she was opening the unmarked box, a happy squeal slipping from lips as she saw the stack of headbands resting inside. Every one was different, and Penelope knew that Strauss had definitely been paying attention to her taste in accessories, since every single one when with her style and her clothes. It was a completely sweet gift, and Penelope knew that she had been wrong about the woman. There was a sentimental streak inside her, one that didn't lend itself to words, but to gifts, and Penelope knew that she couldn't tell her that when she thanked her for the gift. Instead, she picked out her favorite headband, switched it out for her current one, and then took a quick selfie. Satisfied with how she looked in the picture, she opened her email client and sent off a quick thank you to Erin, telling her that a handwritten one would be in the mail later that week, but she wanted to let her know how grateful she was for the gifts, attaching the picture she took of herself. And Penelope hoped that this was just a portent of a wonderful holiday ahead.


	8. Chapter 8

"I hope you're not sick of seeing my face, Aaron," Penelope said as she opened the door to her apartment, welcoming him inside. He gave her a soft smile before leaning in and kissing her gently, and she closed her arm around his neck, holding him close as the kiss deepened. "I'll take it by that kiss your answer is no."

"You would be correct." Aaron tugged on a piece of her hair as they took a seat on the sofa. "Is that the paperweight Strauss bought you?"

"Yeah. Isn't it lovely? Seriously, she's not that bad."

He nodded a little, making no comment, and she knew that it would probably take her a while longer to get him to see Strauss as someone a little more human. "So, did you pick out a movie?"

"I did, and it starts at eight, so we should have enough time to eat beforehand." She adjusted the headband in her hair and got to her feet, slipping into her bedroom to grab her purse and apply a final spritz of perfume before meeting him at the door and slipping her arms into her coat that he was so graciously holding out to her. "Who would have thought that my partner would be such a gentleman?"

"Well, my mother did raise me right," he replied as he hooked his arm through hers, leading her down the stairs of her building and out into the cold December air. Since the temperature had dropped, it gave her a good excuse to cuddle closer to Aaron as they walked, and she hummed beneath her breath as they went along. "I hope that Jack wasn't too much yesterday. It was hard for him, and I know that you and Jessica were trying so hard to make good memories for him, but it felt like he just wasn't into it."

"He's four, Aaron, of course his little mind is going to be off kilter, because his mommy isn't coming back, and Aunt Jessica and Aunt Penelope are hovering around him more often, so he knows that something odd is occurring. Personally, I think that he's rolling with the waves quite well. And he loved the dinosaurs you got him, more so than cars I bought."

"He'll play with them more, once the dinosaurs lose their luster." She giggled as she climbed into the passenger seat and made herself comfortable. "Seriously, he did appreciate your gifts, but I think he's just trying to show me that he loves me. At least, that's what my profiler side says. And his first counselling session begins in the new year. I finally found someone who I think will be a good fit for him."

"That's so good to hear!" she exclaimed as she grinned at him. "My therapist was such a help to me when I was shot. And I check in with her when I need to. She was the reason that I got trained to be a group counsellor, you know. And it is a very rewarding job, even if I'm not paid to do it."

"So, miracle worker and angel. What did I do to deserve someone like you?"

"I'm not perfect, Hotch. I'm human, just like you." She sighed. "What are we going to tell Jack about us? I don't want him to think that I'm trying to take Haley's place, but I also don't want him to get too attached to me, in case things don't work out between us. And I know, you probably think that I'm some wacky, spontaneous, woman, but I really enjoy knowing the boundaries of relationships. That was one of the things that bothered me about Kevin, honestly."

"Oh?" he asked as he pulled into traffic, heading in the direction of downtown.

"Yeah. There were a few red flags that I had been ignoring, because it was nice to have someone dote on me. But I should have dumped me when he thought it was a good idea to cut the power in my apartment and surprise me by sneaking up on me and putting his hands on me. In that moment, my brain instinctively thought that someone like Battle had come to finish the job that he couldn't, and he tried to laugh it off as a funny prank."

"There's nothing funny about that," Aaron replied with a glower.

"I know. But when your self-esteem isn't the best to begin with, and the person you're dreaming of never looked twice at you before then, well, you make bad choices. I'm just hoping that the choices I'm making now are better ones."

He nodded. "I think that they are. But I am a bit biased, Penelope."

A light chuckle slipped from her lips as she nodded. "You are, but that's one of the things I like about you." They fell quiet for the rest of the drive, and she turned the radio up a little, wanting to get a feel for what he liked to listen to while driving. She wasn't surprised to find that the car was tuned to a news station, and she shook her head a little as she began to move through the stations before finally settling on a classic rock station that was in the middle of "Bohemian Rhapsody". She sang along quietly, the smile on her face widening as Aaron joined in.

"We're here," he said as the song came to an end, and she looked up to see that they were at one of her favorite restaurants. "I asked Emily where you like to eat, and swore her to secrecy. After all, if Strauss finds out we're dating, it could be both our heads."

"I really don't think so, Aaron," she said before getting out of his car and waiting for him to join her. They clasped hands once more, and she smiled as she stepped close to him once more. "She seemed like she'd be okay with things, as long as we came to her first. I'll talk to her as soon as we're back, and she can take up the fight with the Director. Okay?"

He let out a long-suffering breath, which told Penelope that he didn't believe her, but would humor her nonetheless. "Okay," he finally responded before opening the door for her. As they headed inside, she wondered if he was angry with her, since his answer had been so short, and she felt the happiness in her heart start to crumble. Once they were shown to a table, she hurriedly picked up a menu and began to study it intently, even though she knew what she wanted. She just needed a temporary buffer between them, so as to get control over her emotions once more.

His hand closed around her wrist, and she looked up at him. "What?"

"You're upset with me."

"No, you're mad at me for suggesting that I tell Strauss about us. I don't want to keep secrets, just to keep you, Aaron. That's not who I am any longer." Her eyes filled with tears, and she swiped them away before shaking off his hand and bringing her hands into her lap.

"But do you really think it's wise to tell her this? She is the person who tried to separate our team a number of times over the years, after all."

She drew in a deep breath through her nose as she looked at him steadily. "Yes, it is wise. Haley's murder really shook her up, and I truly think that she would do anything to create some stability and smoothness in our team. I know that you're the profiler in this relationship, that you've taken all these classes on human behavior that you think allows you to know people, but Strauss isn't an unsub, she doesn't have the same motivations a serial killer has. And I truly think that if she had issues with us, I would not have gotten so dear a Christmas gift from her. I looked up the price on that paperweight, and let's just say that if she was planning on separating us? I would not have received a gift topping out at four hundred dollars."

His eyes widened a little as he picked up his water glass and took a sip. "You know, for someone who isn't trained in profiling, it seems like you might just give me a run for my money. And I am going to trust your judgement on this, since Strauss seems to like you for some reason."

"For some reason?! Darling, I am sunshine personified, and besides that one small slip in Milwaukee, I haven't given her any reason to dislike me." She had meant to sound sharp, but from the relieved smile on his lips, Penelope knew that he knew she was teasing him. "Well, that's our first fight out of the way. Let's order and enjoy our meal and movie. I promise, her name won't fall from my lips for a month, all right?"

He nodded and reached across the table once more, palm outstretched. She met him halfway and took hold of it, clasping it firmly as they smiled at each other. "I will hold you to that, Penelope. But if we get the green light to go ahead with this, then you can feel free to call her Saint Strauss, for all I care." She giggled and nodded at him before looking up at their server, who had just joined them. It didn't take long to put their order in, and then they fell into a much easier conversation, Penelope finding her heart a little more at ease now that things would be out in the open, come the new year.


	9. Chapter 9

Penelope gave Strauss's assistant a hesitant smile as she stopped in front of her desk the first day back from their holiday break. "May I help you, Ms Garcia?" the woman asked, and she nodded. "Well, what is it?"

She cleared her throat a little so as not to let out a nervous giggle before smoothing her skirt down her thighs. "I need to speak with Chief Strauss. Is she in this morning?"

The woman looked down at the monitor in front of her. "She doesn't have any meetings scheduled for this morning, however, I will need to call her to see if there's something she hasn't put on her agenda. Give me one moment?" Penelope nodded and listened to Helen call into Strauss's office, asking if she was free. "All right, she has about ten minutes for you, Ms Garcia."

Penelope nodded a little as she turned and made her way into Strauss's office, plastering on a confident smile that she totally did not feel. "Good morning, ma'am. I hope that you had a good holiday?" she said as she took a seat in front of her desk, noting that the picture of her with her family was now absent from the shelves behind her. In its place was a picture of just her children, and she tried not to frown as she started to put a few pieces together.

"My children were quite happy with how it went. And I know that Tabitha wrote you a thank you note for the book you sourced for her, but I want to tell you that I am extremely grateful for the lengths you went to, in order to acquire it. That was a personalized autograph, Penelope."

The use of her first name caught her a little off guard, and she nodded as she tried to relax. "I knew that it was important to you, so I went to great lengths to ensure that that would happen. Truly, it was a small thing, in the scheme of things. I just like making people happy, I guess."

"You certainly do a good job at that. Now, why did you want to see me?"

Penelope licked her lips as tried to formulate her next words, knowing that they would have a large impact on her future happiness. "That matter we were speaking about last year, between Aaron and myself? Things have indeed changed, and we would like to pursue a relationship. I did some reading into the frat rules, and as long as I report to Rossi for things like my evaluation, and we can keep our relationship quiet while we're at work, it should, technically, be all right? But you wanted to be informed of any decision that we made, which is why I insisted that I tell you about this. Aaron wasn't too certain."

"Aaron has good reason not to trust me. So do you, and yet, here you are."

"You're not the tiger that you pretend to be here. Though I know that you need to keep that image intact so that you're respected. I get it. You need to be the ice queen, because you had to work so hard to get where you are, you had to be better than the boys, and that leaves a mark on your psyche. I won't tell anyone that I've seen behind the mask." She smiled sheepishly at the woman, seeing the smug look on Strauss's face.

"Amazing, you're the first person in the BAU to actively search out who I am outside these four walls." That was a lie, Penelope could tell by the way her hand tightened around her coffee mug, but she chose not to comment on it. "And so, I will smooth things over with Director Shepherd, and make certain that you and Agent Hotchner can have a pleasant relationship."

"Thank you, ma'am." She touched the headband on her head, watching a gentle smile quickly flit across the woman's face before her usual cool expression slipped into place. "Hopefully, we'll get good news later on today."

"You'll know as soon as I do, Ms Garcia." They nodded to each other, and then Penelope was making her way back to her office, whistling an upbeat tune as she made her way over to the break room and snagged one of the cookies that someone had brought in to share. She nibbled at it as she made her way to her office.

"You're in a good mood this morning," Anderson said as she was unlocking her door, and she turned to smile at him, shrugging a little. "Are things good for you and Agent Hotchner, then?"

"We're friends."

"And I'm the queen of Sheba," he retorted, giving her one of his looks, making her giggle a little. "I have eyes, and those eyes have told me that things between you and him have changed since Haley was murdered. I, for one, personally like the fact that he's starting to be his normal dour self, rather than glowering at everyone, ready to bite their heads off for the least thing. And you are much happier as well."

She took a deep breath as she beckoned him inside her office. "We are nothing more than friends for the time being. Strauss has to talk to the Director and smooth things over first. And even if he does give his approval, we still can't be an overt couple while we're at work. So it will appear like we're nothing more than friends, ever, while we're attached to the BAU. This is going to be a delicate tightrope we're walking, and even though I might have the support of Strauss for the moment, if she gets any pushback from above her head, then we have to abide by that. So I'd rather do anything I could to keep the boat as steady as possible."

"I totally get that, Penelope." He reached out and patted her arm a little. "Don't worry, the secret is safe with me. But if I might ask a person question, how did you break the ice with Strauss? I know that you two aren't friends, but she is warmer towards you than any one else here."

"I treated her like the human being she is. I'm surprised that it took me this long to do that, but it's working in my favor thus far. And while she's not nice, she's good. Nice is definitely different than good." Anderson nodded a little. "Now, I suppose that I should buckle down for the day. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask me, and I might just answer them." She gave him a little wink before heading over to her desk and taking a seat.

"Will do, Penelope."

As soon as the door closed, she let out a deep breath before picking up her coffee mug and taking a long sip, finding that it had cooled considerably since she had gone to visit Strauss. Sighing, she knew that she didn't really have time to get a fresh cup, so she decided to just roll with it as she checked on the long term searches she was running for the international team. Just as that was loading, her office door opened once more, and she glanced over to see who was there. "Hey, Boss Man! Are we ready to brief the new case already?"

"Just about. I wanted to run over the details with you beforehand, since I think that it's going to be a rougher case, so I know that you like to know the details beforehand, so that you don't get emotional during the briefing."

She smiled up at him as she nodded, taking the case file from his hands and glancing at the attached pictures, feeling her eyes widen. "Oh," she breathed out before she scanned them into her computer and began to arrange them in an order than felt appropriate. Aaron rested his hand on her shoulder as he watched what she was doing, and then she was looking up at him. "All right, give me the barebones of what this case is about, so I can tell the team while they take notes."

He nodded and gave her all the appropriate information, and she made a few notes on her copy of the case file. When he had finished, he gave her a small smile before taking a seat on the edge of her desk. "So, did you talk to Strauss this morning?"

"I did, and she's going to speak with Director Shepherd later today, and she'll let me know as soon as she hears one way or the other. She was really kind about it, too, so maybe she is trying to turn over a new leaf?"

"Perhaps," he replied as he reached out and stroked her hair. "Just be careful with how much you trust her until you know her a little better. I don't want to see you getting hurt because she happens to do something that makes you regret opening up to her in the first place."

"I'll keep that in mind, Aaron, but I truly think that you're wrong about her. Now, let's gather the team so that you can get out into the field and catch this bastard." He nodded before leaning down and kissing her temple, the closest way they could express affection while in the office. Getting up, she allowed him to rest his hand on the small of her back as he led her over to the door, relishing the small bit of contact that she could have with him for the moment.


	10. Chapter 10

The team had been out on the case for four days, and they were at the point where they didn't need Penelope quite so much, so she decided to do a little digging into Strauss's background. She had really gotten to thinking about the change in pictures in her office, knowing that the small change was deliberate, even more so for one so focused on family as she was. Or at least, that's what Penelope thought, since she had had to find the special book for Tabitha. Feeling a little guilty, she tapped into the public divorce records and searched for Strauss's name.

"Son of a bitch. On her fucking birthday? Ugh, some men are just down right cruel," she muttered as she added Strauss's birthday to her calendar, just like she had for everyone that she worked with. That done, she closed out of the records, not bothering to unseal the more private parts of the document, since she didn't need that information, she had just needed to confirm her hunch. And now that it was confirmed, her heart ached for some strange reason. She knew that Aaron would just blow it off as their boss getting her just desserts, but no one deserved to be dragged into court on their birthday and witness the dissolving of their marriage. Not even their perhaps too stern boss.

Swiping away a few tears, Penelope picked up her laptop and logged onto her email, deleting a bunch of messages, replying to a few and saving others for later. She knew that she was skirting the boundaries of her agreement with the FBI, but this was an open connection, and she wasn't doing any hacking of an unauthorized sort, at least. That was what she did for her teams, for a good cause. When that was squared away, she went over to the MMORPG that she was currently playing and immersed herself in that. It wasn't until she heard a distinctly feminine throat clearing behind her that she tore herself away from her game and looked up to see Strauss standing there, a bemused smile on her lips.

"Oh, I didn't hear you come in, ma'am. Were you waiting long?"

"No, not too long. Is this what you do while you're waiting to hear from your team?"

There wasn't the accusatory tone that she had been anticipating, and Penelope relaxed into a smile as she nodded. "Hotch said that as long as it doesn't interfere with my work, I'm free to do what will help take my mind off the horrors that I have to look at every day. You know my background, ma'am, so you know that I don't have the same sort of training that even an FBI cadet fresh out of the academy has. I have been slowly acclimating to all of that, but…there are certain cases that just get under my skin, and I need a way to escape."

"I know, Ms Garcia. I just wanted to see if you'd be honest with me. Agent Hotchner has written of how well you cope, and what you do to blow off steam, in your yearly evaluations. Though I suppose that Agent Rossi will have to take over those duties from now on."

It took Penelope a moment to recognize what Strauss was saying, and then a wide grin spread across her face. "Please, tell me that you mean what I think you mean?"

"You and Agent Hotchner have approval from myself and the Director to continue on with your relationship. There are some ground rules that I have to go over with you, such as Agent Rossi being your direct supervisor for the duration of your relationship. Now, I know that you think it will last forever, but there is the possibility that it might not. If that should be the case, I will have to ask you how comfortable you are with remaining attached to the BAU, since things have a way of turning quite awkward following a separation."

From the look on Strauss's face, Penelope knew that she was thinking about her own divorce, and she longed to sympathize with her, even though she knew that that was the last thing the woman would want. "There is that. I hadn't thought that far ahead, I guess, so I'm glad someone is being rational and thoughtful here."

A red tinge colored her cheeks, and Penelope reached out to touch her suit coat sleeve. "That is what I need to do as a Section Chief. At least you're not as much trouble as the red cell team. But, yes, you will need to think about that for the future. Also, discretion is going to be your best friend from here on out. I know from personal experience that you flirt heavily with Agent Morgan, and while that is perhaps not always in the best of taste, I understand why you do so. That will not be possible with Agent Hotchner, I'm afraid. I cannot have there being any hint of favoritism for you from him."

She nodded, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she really was getting the green light to go ahead with her relationship with Aaron. "I will keep that in my mind, yes. Is there anything else that you need to tell me?"

"Not at the moment, no."

"Okay. Seriously, thank you so much for going to the Director for us. I know that it was not an easy thing for you, since you had to stick your neck out for us. Um, since I can't leave the office today, they're too close to finding the jackass, would you like to have lunch with me? I just want to repay a little of the kindness that you've shown Aaron and me." Penelope closed her fingers around Strauss's wrist, squeezing gently. "It would be my treat."

"You drive a hard bargain, Ms Garcia. Fine, I will accept your kind offer and be back here around noon. If something changes, I will have Helen call and let you know."

Penelope grinned as she released Strauss's wrist and nodded. "I will see you in a few hours, then. We'll meet in the conference room, since I can use the laptop in there, and I don't have to worry about food spilling around my babies."

A short chuckle slipped from her lips before she composed herself once more, giving Penelope a short nod before she turned on her heel and left the office, closing the door behind her. As soon as she was gone, Penelope let out a pleased sigh as she turned her attention back to her game, picking up where she left off for a little while, until her phone began to ring. "Garcia here, what do you need from the Oracle?"

"I need you to find a few addresses for us, Kitten."

She smiled at the sound of Rossi's voice, setting aside the laptop before going over to the computers and taking a seat, her hands poised over the keyboard. "All right, Rossi, let me have it." As he rattled off the name of who she was looking into, she typed into her search engines, letting her system do the work for them. As she waited for the results, she decided to reveal what Strauss had said to her. "So, I now get to have you perform my yearly evaluations."

"What? No. Aaron does that, Garcia."

"He would, but Director Shepherd decided that our relationship wouldn't break the frat rules, so long as we tread lightly. Strauss just delivered the good news to me, and while I haven't told Aaron yet, I thought I'd just take the opportunity to let you know. It will be nice to have you as my supervisor, Sir Stallion."

He laughed lowly, and Penelope could picture him shaking his head a little. "I think that that nickname is going a little too far. But I am glad that Strauss was able to smooth your way with the Director."

"I am, too. Oh, and here are those addresses that you need. I'll forward them to your cell phone, and you can pass them on to the rest of the team?"

"Sounds good to me. I hope that we see you soon."

"That is my fondest wish, too, Rossi. Stay safe while you hunt the bastard down."

"We'll try."

She ended the call, but felt like she couldn't concentrate on her game any longer, not when she knew that they were headed out to truly hunt the unsub down, and so she did the next mindless thing that she could do to divert attention away from the danger her team was now in. It was definitely more difficult this time around, since it was the first time that she had a more vested interest in Aaron making it home safely than she had before. On her second monitor, she loaded up reddit and began to scroll through her favorite cat subreddit, allowing the adorable pictures to lighten her mood and distract her from the tight feeling in her stomach. She also tried to keep in mind the fact that she would be meeting Strauss for lunch relatively soon, and that she didn't want to be a bundle of feelings when she made her appearance.

Finally, having not received the call that might tell her Strauss wasn't coming, Penelope ordered Indian food for them and brought her laptop into the conference room, setting it up there before heading down to the break room and grabbing two bottles of water and bring them and two glasses up to the room, not knowing what Strauss might like to drink, but wanting to still make her feel welcome. After all, she had been the one to invite her to this lunch, and she wanted to make it worth her time. And maybe, just maybe, she'd get to know her a little better, so that she might know more about the way she made her decisions, and help to take some of the scrutiny off her team when they did something outlandish. Either way, she was determined to have a good afternoon with the woman, and not focus on what Aaron and the others might be facing.


	11. Chapter 11

Penelope was curled up on the sofa, half asleep, when the buzzer for her door went off. Groaning a little, she stretched as she sat up, the blanket she had been using falling into her lap before she pushed it off so that she could get up and make her way over to the intercom. "Who is it?"

"It's Aaron, Penelope. Can I come up?"

"Of course," she answered tiredly pressing the right button as she looked at her clock, seeing that it was nearly midnight. They must have just gotten back from the case, and she felt bad for not having stayed at the BAU, but there hadn't been any reason for her to stay, really. Going back over to the sofa, she picked up her blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders before opening her door and leaning against the doorjamb to wait for her partner. Her neighbor opened her door and set out a garbage bag.

"You're up late, Penelope," she said lowly, and Penelope shrugged a little, a tired smile on her lips.

"My partner just got home and decided that he wanted to come over. I can't say no, since he was travelling for work all week. Heading down to the dumpster?"

"Yeah. I like to wait until now, because there's no one out there, and I like the peace of night. Enjoy the rest of your night."

"I'll try, Louise."

Her neighbor grinned at her and gave her a small wave before heading back into her apartment. Almost as soon as the door closed, she heard footsteps coming towards her, and she looked down towards the elevator to see Aaron there, a weary look on his face. "Penny."

"Aaron!" she exclaimed, giving him as large a smile as she could muster as he picked up his pace to get to her side, wrapping his arms around her waist as he bent in to kiss her softly. She returned the kiss as she wound one arm around his neck, holding him close as they made their way inside the apartment. She kicked the door closed before pulling away from him so that she could gaze up into his face. "Give me a few seconds to lock the door, and then we can continue this on the sofa."

"All right," he replied, and she brushed her lips against his cheek before turning around and locking the door, making certain the chain was in place before making her way over to the sofa and dropping down next to Aaron, cuddling close to his side before resting her head on his shoulder. "Dave said that you had good news for me?"

"He didn't tell you?" Aaron shook his head. "Well, it seems that you have one less yearly evaluation to complete now. Strauss managed to get Director Shepherd's approval for our relationship, and so I report to Rossi now. I hope you don't mind having one less thing to worry about."

"Ah, but your review was the one I actually looked forward to writing every year."

"Strauss thought you might say something like that. We had lunch today, too, since she did us a good favor. Now, I am exhausted, are you planning on staying the night?"

"If I may. I don't want to disturb Jack and Jessica, so I texted her to say that I'd be spending the night here. I know, it's a bit presumptuous of me, but I thought that you'd let me in."

"Of course, you're my boyfriend, why wouldn't you be welcome here? Hell, Morgan has spent more nights on my couch than I count, and I don't mind him showing up at my doorstep when it was a particularly difficult case. Though I have the feeling that won't be happening very often, now that we're together."

He smiled at her as he shrugged. "You two are best friends, like Dave and I are. I wouldn't begrudge him spending time with you."

"That's sweet, darling, but let's head to bed, and in the morning, we can head over to your place and spell Jessica. Maybe even take everyone out to brunch?"

"That sounds like a good thing, yeah. Do you mind if I shower before I join you in bed?"

"That's fine, Aaron. I'll let you explore and find it on your own while I crawl into bed. It's a small apartment, it shouldn't take you long to find it." Leaning over, she kissed him once more before dropping the blanket onto the seat and getting up, stretching a little before padding over to the bed. She hoped that he wouldn't mind taking the right hand side of the bed, since the nightstand was on the left, and that was where she put her glasses while she slept. Pulling back the covers, she slipped into bed and squirmed around a little to try and get comfortable before she grabbed her Kindle and opened up the book she was currently reading.

By the time that Aaron finally joined her, she had read almost twenty pages, though she had yawned quite a bit as she did so. "Is that on your approved list?" he teased as he sat heavily on the bed.

"Yes. It's one of the older models that can only access the Kindle store, and before you ask, no, I haven't hacked it to access unauthorized websites. I've been good, ever since I joined your team, Dudley Do-Right."

He chuckled as he stretched out on the bed, turning on his side so that he could look at her. "I know, I know, but it's a question I have to ask. I'm sorry."

"I get it, really. I did a lot of ethically grey things during my time as the Black Queen. It took a lot of work for me to be trusted enough to work with your team. I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize that, believe me. Especially since I now have to be extra careful, if I want to stay with you. And right now, I really do. I want to see where this journey will take us, and I'm hoping that it will be quite far, since you're a really great guy, Aaron Hotchner."

"And you're a really great gal, Penelope Garcia." She giggled a little as he leaned in and kissed her softly. She placed her bookmark before setting the Kindle onto the nightstand and turned off the light, allowing the darkness of the evening to fall upon them. "I haven't slept with anyone since Haley left," Aaron said quietly as she slipped off her glasses and set them atop the tablet.

Turning on her side, she gazed into his face, trying to figure out if he meant sex or cuddling, and she furrowed her brow a little as she snuggled in close to his side, letting her arm come to rest around his waist as she brought her forehead to rest against his. "That's what, two years?"

"Yes."

"That's an awfully long time to be without human touch," she said lowly, her hand splaying out on his back as she pulled back a little to look at him again. "But we're together now, and lucky for you, I am a very tactile person. Unless you don't want to be touched frequently?"

"It might take me time to grow accustomed to that, Penelope. When Foyet attacked me, he took sadistic pleasure in caressing my skin before he thrust the knife into me. I know that he was getting off on hurting me, and I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing just how much he was hurting me." She felt her breath sucked out of her lungs as she felt her heart break for him. "He was an evil man, Penny. He hurt so many people, and we were fooled by him for so long. Even Haley was taken in by him, because he could lie so facilely. I just, I should have figured out how close he was to my family, but I was distracted, even though Morgan did take over for me for a time. Strauss offered me full retirement. She said I deserved it after everything I had been through."

"And you do, but that's not who you are, is it? You want to protect all those families who are stalked by sadistic bastards and help them, the way that you couldn't help Haley. Because you are a decent, kind, caring, man." He frowned a little, as if he wanted to disagree with her, and she shook her head a little. "You are. And it's one of the reasons that I cared for you for so long. Because I could see the gentleness that was in your eyes, and could ferret out a little of what was in your heart. Remember? You defended me when Gideon called me stupid. No one had ever stood up for me like that before, and I know it might seem trivial or dumb to latch onto something like that, but I did. Even after Gideon and I started to get along, I knew that you were the one I could depend on when I needed something."

"Gideon had his moods, that's for sure. I tried to keep them in check, but even though I was his supervisor, he had been doing the job for long enough that he thought he could just do things his way. Rossi had a little bit of that attitude, too, when he rejoined the BAU. Or don't you remember him keeping secrets from us?"

"Yeah, I suppose that you have a point there." She yawned a little before snuggling in close to him once more, hooking her chin over his shoulder as his arm closed around her waist. "But we'll have to pick this conversation up in the morning, because I am exhausted. Good night?"

"Good night, Penelope." He pressed his lips to the side of her head as she closed her eyes, and she smiled widely as she drifted off to sleep, safe in his arms.


	12. Chapter 12

"I don't think that I'll be able to look at dolls in the same way ever again," Penelope said to Jessica as took a seat at the table. Aaron had asked that she have supper with them, since he was going to be late coming home. Jessica had instantly made a place for her, and that made her feel so welcome. "I understand why she did what she did, but I just can't begin to fathom the depths that some people will go to in order to preserve their delusion."

"Will her father face any prosecution?"

"Most likely not, though he'll probably be stripped of his medical license. This was one of the times that I hate statute of limitations. Because certain people deserve to face the music for their crimes." She let out a frustrated breath before looking at Jessica. "I say this a lot with my job, but people can really suck."

"Haley told me the same thing, and she never got to see it from your perspective. I can only imagine what it does to your heart." She reached across the table and covered Penelope's hand with her own. "I'd offer you wine or beer, but I'm assuming that you'll want to leave for home soon."

"Yeah, probably. I mean, Aaron will be home late, and I'm not exactly certain that Jack should be seeing me first thing in the morning this soon in our relationship? I know, it's been a few months now, but he just lost his mother, and I don't want to send him weird signals."

"You have the best heart, Penelope." Jessica stood and began to clear the dessert plates from in front of them. "And I think that Jack will understand that you're not trying to take Haley's place. He's just so little that memories of his mother are going to fade more quickly. Aaron has promised that he'll try to keep Haley's memory alive here, but we're not living in a vacuum. Life moves on, and so we have to as well, or else risk never growing."

She turned to look at Penelope, her eyes glittering in the light, and Penelope pursed her lips together as she struggled to keep from crying herself. "We're both sentimental people, aren't we?"

"I get that feeling, yeah. Here, let me walk you to the door."

Penelope nodded as she stood, following after Jessica. As she stepped into her shoes, Jessica handed her her coat and she slipped her arms into the sleeves as she smiled softly at the woman. "I really have to thank you, Jess. You should not be accepting me this easily into Jack's life, and yours. I mean, Haley was your sister."

"And you listened to her last words, so we're connected in a way that transcends petty differences." Before she could say anything else, Jessica was leaning in and hugging her tightly, her breathing shaky in Penelope's ear. "She hated his job, and it is such bitter irony that your team would be there with her when the job took her life. But you are like a family, even if I don't like admitting that."

"It's understandable, Jess." She rubbed her back lightly before pulling away from her and grabbing her purse. "I know that I've told you this before, just like I've told Strauss, and Derek, and Jayje, but if you ever need to talk, my ear is open to you. I don't mind listening."

"I'll keep that in mind. It might take a while, since, well, I like you, but liking and trusting are two different things. I really like you, but my trust level isn't as high as my like level, if that makes sense."

"Completely." She hugged Jessica once more before opening the door and heading towards her car. As she started to drive, she passed Aaron on his way home, and she gave him a small wave, a little sad at having just missed him. Still, she didn't turn around, knowing that he needed to spend time decompressing without her by his side.

Her phone began to ring, and she touched her Bluetooth to answer. "So, we just missed each other."

"We did. I would have stayed, but I think that Jess had seen enough of my face for one night. We had a bit of a heart to heart, and I think that I got a better handle on who she is and how she's feeling. I don't blame her for those feelings, but I understand where she's coming from."

"We're all struggling with losing Haley. So, since you want to give me a little space, does a coffee date on Sunday sound good? We can take Jack to the park, too."

She sighed with pleasure at that idea. "I think that you know how to get right to my heart, darling. You can pick me up around ten on Sunday?"

"It's a date. I'll also probably talk to you tomorrow night, after I get Jack to bed. I just need a little time to think about what happened on this case. It was so weird, and unsettling, and I think that it will haunt me for a while to come."

"I feel that way, too. Sleep well tonight, Aaron, and I'll await your call tomorrow."

"Sounds good, Penny."

They ended the call, and she let out a soft breath before turning onto her street. Finally, she reached her home, and she parked in her normal spot before heading into her apartment building and tapping her foot lightly on the floor of the elevator as she rode it up to her floor. She was just inserting her key in the lock when her phone rang once more, and she brought it to her ear without checking the display. "Is everything all right? We just ended our call, honey!"

There was a brief pause, and she frowned as she stepped into her apartment, slipping off her shoes as she waited for an answer. "I think that I am not the person you think I am, Ms Garcia."

"Oh! Well! At least I didn't say anything too embarrassing to you this time?" she asked as she closed and locked her door, awkwardly taking off her coat as she continued to speak. "What can I do for you?"

There was another pause, and she licked her lips a little as she went over to the sofa and took a seat, curling her legs up beneath her as she grabbed the blanket with her free hand and spread it across her lap. "You said that if I ever needed to talk, that I could talk to you."

"Yes, my ear is always open. What's wrong?"

"This goes no further than us. Mark got full custody of our children."

"What the fuck?"

"My sentiments exactly, though perhaps with not such crude language. He claimed that my work load and the fact that he thinks I drink a little more than what he considers to be healthy are stumbling blocks to my fitness as a parent. The judge agreed with him, and I get to have supervised visitation with my children, because he thinks that divorcing me on my birthday wasn't enough humiliation."

Penelope's heart broke for the woman, and she wondered what had caused her to open up like this. Knowing that they were in a delicate place, she tried to reply as diplomatically as possible. "Do you mind if I speak crudely once more?"

"No."

That one word seemed full of tears, and Penelope felt her jaw stiffen in anger. "Your ex-husband is a bastard, and you're better off without him. And if you want me to, I can destroy his credit and his social media presence, and whatever else you would want me to. It's not fair that he's destroyed your reputation in a court of law, because that sticks with you. Believe me, I know."

"You won't do that, Penelope, because you are a good person at heart, and can't destroy other people, at least not now. Even when you worked as the Black Queen, you were not malicious. But I appreciate the offer."

"Well, what can I do for you? I'm free tomorrow if you want to have lunch, or head to a movie. Sometimes I find that I feel better when I can just veg out mindlessly with a friend. Not that we're friends, but we're friendly, and that means something. Yes?"

"Yes. And seeing a movie would be nice. This time, it will be my treat."

"I won't argue with that, ma'am. Now, do you need to talk some more? Because I have the evening in front of me, and if you don't mind being on speaker for about five minutes while I change, you can let it all out."

There was a low, watery, chuckle on the other end of the line, and Penelope smiled as she stood and made her way into the bedroom, almost knowing that Erin would agree to talk to her. "I just feel like a fool, I guess. I mean, I knew that there had been issues with our relationship for a while, but I didn't think that it would end like this. I didn't see when love turned to hate."

"It can happen on the edge of a dime sometimes," she said as she set her phone on her dresser, unzipping her dress and hanging it up before slipping out of her bra and pulling out a nightie to wear. "How do your children feel about this new arrangement?"

"They don't understand. They know that I've had my bobbles lately, but that I was recovering from that. And now, I can't see them without a nanny? They don't understand that, either. I can't believe I wasted so many years of love on him."

"Love is never wasted, I think. We just become different people over the years, and unless the love changes with us, it's bound to die. And now your heart can be open to find love once more." She tried to ignore Erin's sniffles, even as the lump in her own throat grew. "So you're alone right now?"

"Yes?"

She took a deep breath, knowing that this had the potential to blow up in her face, but wanting to offer anyway. "Well, rather than wallowing in your too empty house, you could come over and hang out with me? I could make popcorn, we could demolish a bottle of wine, and we could watch so bad they're good movies until you fall asleep, and then we could head out for brunch tomorrow. You don't have to, I'm certain that you have other friends, closer friends, that you could do the same with, but my offer still stands."

"I'll have to take a taxi to your place."

"That's fine, there's no judgement coming from me. Just, I want you to feel safe and not alone. So, will I see you soon, then?"

The brief pause sounded a little more positive to her ear, and she felt a worried smile start to spread across her face as she waited. "You are just as persistent with the people in your life as with the data you gather. Aaron was exactly right when he mentioned that in his reviews of you. I will see you shortly, yes. Just give me your address."

Penelope swallowed a pleased squeal before rattling off her address for Erin. "Thank you for agreeing to this. This is how I work best, taking care of my friends. I'll have the wine and popcorn ready for when you get here, and you can pick a movie from my collection. Oh, and bring comfy jammies. Sleepovers always call for comfy jammies." Before Erin could get another word in, Penelope ended the call, getting to her feet and starting preparations ready for her arrival.


	13. Chapter 13

Penelope groaned as she sat up in bed the next morning, her head pounding. After the first bottle of wine had gone down so smoothly, she had opened two more that were just as quickly downed by them. Though Strauss hadn't wanted to talk much, which Penelope completely understood, she had spoken a few times, letting Penelope know that she was dwelling on what Mark had done to her. They had blown through two lighthearted comedies, and it had been good to hear Strauss laugh, even if it was short lived. Now that it was morning, she was regretting how much she had drank, and she knew that Erin would be feeling it worse than she was, since she had had some drinks before she had come over.

Rubbing her eyes to clear away some of the sleepies, she slipped out of bed and padded over to the bathroom, relieving herself before washing her hands as she took a look at her reflection. It was clear that she had forgotten to take off her makeup the night before, and she let out a soft sigh as she pulled out a few cotton rounds and washed off her makeup before making her way into the kitchen, only to find Erin already in there, standing in front of the stove. "What are you doing?" she asked, her voice sounding fuzzy to her ears.

"Making breakfast for us. I heard you get up and thought that you might be as hungry as I am. I hope you don't mind that I snooped around in your cupboards for everything."

"That's fine, I don't have anything to hide in my home." She gave the woman a tired smile as she collapsed onto a chair, pillowing her head on her arms as she closed her eyes once more. "So, let's just make brunch lunch, because it is going to take me longer to feel human than I want."

"Is your head aching as badly as mine is?"

"Yeah, but you're still cooking. I don't think I could do that right now and still keep everything in my stomach."

Strauss laughed a little as she stepped away from the stove and poured a glass of water before placing it down in front of Penelope. "Drink that entire glass, and then fill it again and drink another. You need to rehydrate. I got up in the middle of the night, and did that before I went back to sleep. We should have been drinking water last night, but we didn't."

Penelope lifted her head and let out a small groan as she picked up the glass and sipped at it delicately while she watched Strauss go back to making pancakes. There was something soothing about the motions, and she felt herself tear up as she imagined the woman making breakfast for her children, and that she wouldn't have the opportunity to do that anytime soon do to her evil ex. "It's just so not fair!" she burst out suddenly, and Strauss turned a little to look at her, a questioning look on her face.

"Why are you crying?"

"Because you should be making breakfast for your children, not me!"

The woman clucked her tongue before adding another pancake to the stack next to her and then coming over to her side and patting her shoulder gently. "Your heart is the best thing about you, I do hope you realise that."

Penelope shrugged as she smiled up at her. "There are times when my heart gets me in trouble. And you're not so bad yourself, I hope you know." Strauss returned her smile before squeezing her shoulder once more and heading back to the stove to finish up with the pancakes.

She finished off her water and brought the glass back to the sink, pouring another glass before grabbing plates and utensils for the meal and setting the table before taking a seat once more. Strauss set the platter in between them before taking a seat across from her, a softer look on her face than normal. In that moment, Penelope felt like she was really getting to know who she really was, outside of the pressures of work, and she felt a wave of longing sweep over her heart. "You're staring at me, Penelope."

"Sorry. I was just going down a rabbit hole of thought. I, I really want to be your friend. And I understand that my team hasn't treated you with the respect you deserve very often, but I think they're reacting to the mask you wear at work. Of course, you are still my supervisor, so I'm certain that it would be frowned upon, and it's more of a pipe dream than anything, but I really like this place we're at right now. Because you went to bat for Aaron and me, though, I just have a tender spot in my heart for you. And I also know that this is probably the hangover talking, since I tend to have excessive bursts of truth when my inhibitions are lowered, so you get to see me at my worst?"

Strauss laughed a little as she served herself, nudging the plate over to Penelope. "You're adorable, and you remind me a lot of my high school best friend. I suppose that it might be nice to have a friendly face in the bullpen. And when we're outside work, you can call me Erin. If you want."

"I very much want, yes," she replied as she reached across the table and took hold of Erin's hand, squeezing it warmly as she also tried to ignore the frisson of electricity that ran up and down her spine the moment she was taking hold of her hand. "Though you have to be warned," she said as she pulled her hand back and started to cut her pancakes into bite sized pieces, "my friends usually end up with a nickname. Aaron is Boss Man, Derek is, well, the best one to tell you is Hot Stuff, Rossi is my Italian Stallion, JJ is Jayje. Only Emily doesn't have a nickname, and that's because I can't think of one to suit her. All I know is that she's one of my best friends, one of those people who it would destroy my heart if they died. You know?"

Erin dipped her chin a little as she swallowed her bite of food. "That's what Lexie was to me. I thought that we'd be friends forever, and raise our children together, but I made a horrible mistake and she hasn't talked to me in close to a decade at this point. I never thought that I would lose her, but some mistakes aren't fixed by a simple sorry."

A jagged silence filled the room as they continued to eat, and Penelope found herself watching Erin very closely, trying to learn the way her features moved when her mask wasn't in place. Finally, the meal was over, and they washed the dishes together before heading back into the living room. "Well, I feel like we need to get dressed and head out somewhere."

"Where are you thinking?"

"It's a bit of a drive, but there is a really beautiful nature center in Maryland that we could head to, and walk around the trails. It would be really easy to eat there, and then head home. I have a call to accept from Aaron later this evening, but other than that, my entire day is free for you." She smiled softly at Erin, watching her mull over the proposition. "Well?"

"It will be a little cold, but the brisk air might do us both some good. As long as you don't mind if I drive. I might be a little controlling, and that is one of the things that I like to have under my control, when I can."

"That is fine by me! Let me load the address into my phone, and then we can get dressed and go."

Erin nodded as she went into the living room, picking up her bag before disappearing into the bathroom to change. Penelope grinned softly as she tapped away at the phone and got it ready to go before scurrying over to her bedroom and hurriedly dressing, knowing that she could probably finish before Erin was done. When she was finished, she took a seat on her bed and did a light face of makeup before brushing her hair and braiding it into two plaits, since they would be out walking, and it would fit under her hat better, too.

"All right, I'm ready to go."

Penelope looked up to see Erin standing in the doorway. She looked different, and it took her a moment to realise that she was wearing jeans. Skin tight jeans that made Penelope blush a little as she swallowed and fought to keep from staring. "A-all right. Let's head out." She rose to her feet and brushed past Erin to head over to the door, slipping her feet into her sneakers before kneeling down to tie them and then pulling on her coat, scarf, and hat. "Do you need a hat?"

"That might be nice, since it seems I didn't bring mine."

Penelope nodded and handed her one that she had made, watching her pull it on before they left the apartment and made their way down to the car. Somehow, she knew that it was going to be a great day, she just had to make certain that she didn't get caught checking out her boss and new friend.


	14. Chapter 14

Somehow, a month had passed faster than Penelope had imagined, and she and Aaron were quickly growing closer, though they had yet to have sex. She found that she didn't really miss it, but still she wanted to take things to the next level, and she knew that Valentine's Day would be the most romantic day for that to happen. Knowing that that would take a bit of planning, she called Rossi while the team was out on the field, hoping that he wouldn't tease her too terribly when she called.

"Hey, Kitten, what can I do for you?"

"Are you somewhere private? I really don't want you to be overheard by anyone, especially Aaron."

"One second." She heard him tell Reid that he had to take the call in private before she heard him walking somewhere, and then a door was closing before he spoke once more. "What's up?"

"I know this case is horrible, and I don't want to rush you home, but it's going to be Valentine's Day soon, and I want to make it a special one for Aaron, since we haven't taken things to the next level yet. And before you say anything, I'm trusting you to keep that information to yourself."

He chuckled a little. "You take all the fun out of things, Penelope. Fine, I promise. So, you want me to get him home by the evening of Valentine's Day?"

"If you could, please. I'm going to call Jessica and ask her to watch Jack for the entire weekend, since the holiday is on a Sunday this year."

"I'll try my best, Kitten, though I can't make any promises. Oh, I have to go. I'll call you soon."

"Sounds good," she replied before ending the call. Taking a deep breath, she then called Jessica, waiting for her to pick up. While the phone rang, she scrolled through her searches, sending some pertinent information to Aaron's phone as the other woman picked up. "Hey, Jess!"

"Penelope! How are you?"

"Pretty good. Um, I have a small favor to ask of you. I want to have a romantic night with Hotch, for Valentine's Day, and was wondering if you would mind keeping Jack until the fifteenth? That is, if he gets home for the weekend. This unsub is a wily bastard, and we're having trouble tracking him down."

"Yeah, Aaron sounded a little frustrated with how the case was going when he called to check in with Jack last night. But I suppose that I could be persuaded to look after him a little while longer to give you both a sweet date night together."

"You are the best, Jess! Thank you so much!"

The other woman chuckled a little. "You're just lucky that I'm finally getting more accustomed to you," she teased. "Seriously, seeing Jack bounce back and be more of his former self has been a wonderful think to see, and I can't thank you enough for that small blessing. I know that Haley would be happy, too. I, I listened to her last words, Mrs Strauss allowed me to have a copy of the audio, and I know that she wanted Jack to know what love looks like. You two might not be in complete love right now, but you are well on your way to it, and that tenderness is helping to heal them."

She let out a huff of breath, trying to keep from crying at those sweet words, before she spoke. "That is the kindest thing I think anyone has ever said about me," she finally murmured, having to clear her throat afterwards, since it was clogged with tears. "You know what? Let's have a movie night with Jackers. I'll pick up a pizza after I log out here, and we can watch something while we eat, and he'll still be in bed early enough for school in the morning."

"Sounds like a plan."

They chatted for a little while longer before Penelope had to answer a call from Morgan, and then her focus was back on the case at hand, trying to find this unsub before he could hurt another person. And though her time with Jack and Jessica had been a needed palate cleanser before she had had to jump back into things the next day with another murder. Finally, though, they apprehended the unsub, and Rossi had kept his word, getting them home Sunday afternoon. He had even called her, letting her know that they were on their way home, and that he had directed Aaron to head over to her apartment.

That had been two hours ago, and she knew that he would be there shortly. Scurrying into the bathroom, she took a final look at her makeup, touching up a few places on her face before heading back into the kitchen and checking on the meal she had made for them. Everything looked like it was coming together nicely, and she pulled the chicken from the oven and set it on a trivet on the counter before setting the table and lighting the candles to set the ambiance. Once that was all finished, she turned on her radio, choosing a soft jazz station to also set the mood a little better.

Penelope was just pouring them each a glass of red wine when she heard the key rattle in the door. A bright smile spread across her face as she smoothed her hands down her thighs, waiting to see Aaron appear before her. "You're finally home," she whispered as he came over to her side, kissing her delicately before holding out a bouquet of blue Dutch irises. "These are beautiful."

"They reminded me of you. And I know, red roses are typical of today, but you're not a typical person."

"There is that." She giggled a little as she took the flowers from his hand and brought them over to the sink, pulling a vase out of her cupboard and filling it with water before arranging the bouquet and then setting it in the center of the table. "I am so glad that you caught that man. But I feel so badly for that little girl. She, she reminded me of Jack, if I'm honest."

"I felt the same," he replied before picking up his glass and taking a sip of the wine. She gave him a soft, sad, smile before serving their food and taking a seat across from him, watching him through the flowers as he ate. There didn't seem to be much to say to each other, but it wasn't an awkward silence. If anything, the quiet just made her desire him all the more, since it was full of the promise of what was to come. Finally, the meal was over, and they were standing up from the table.

Penelope extinguished the candle before turning to find Aaron placing their plates in the dishwasher. "I think that it's time to head to bed, darling. Don't you?"

He gave her a full on smile, and Penelope felt like she was melting beneath its radiance. "I do think so." Reaching out, he cupped her face before leaning in to kiss her lips in a warm, lush, kiss. This was a little different from their previous kisses, and she whimpered a little as she slung an arm around his neck, allowing him to deepen the kiss as they tripped their way into her bedroom. A tiny gasp slipped from her lips when he pushed her down onto the mattress and she gazed up at him as he began to loosen his tie. "Or do you want to undress me?"

She shrugged a little as she reached behind her back and began to run the zipper of her dress down her back. His hands slowed as he shrugged out of his suitcoat before starting to slip the buttons of his shirt out of their holes, his eyes never leaving her body. Penelope felt so wanted in that moment, and she rose to her feet so that she could step out of the garment, crouching to pick it up before sashaying over to the closet, hanging it up before turning to face Aaron once more. He was already down to his boxers, and she couldn't help but stare at his erection, a pleased grin stealing across her features as she went to unhook her bra.

Aaron stopped her motions, and she lifted her chin a little as she stepped closer to him, feeling the heat of his body radiate off him to seep into her own body. "Is there something that you want to do?" she purred, feeling her smile turn a bit carnal as she thrust her chest out towards him, trying to entice his hands to touch her skin. He simply nodded and placed his hands on her hips, tugging her forward before bending a little to nuzzle his nose into the crook of her neck, causing her to moan as his fingers danced up her back until they came to the clasp of her bra. The light snick that filled the air, told her that he had expertly undone it, and she sighed deeply as he began to kiss his way down her chest until he came to the swell of her breasts. Pausing, he slid his hands back down to her hips, slipping his thumbs beneath the band of her panties and pushing them down her thighs as he began to lavish attention on her breasts.

She hardly noticed when he brought her down to the bed, fitting himself between her legs as he continued to kiss and nuzzle her skin, making her feel completely cherished and adored. And then, he was thrusting into her, filling her completely. It was so easy to allow desire to wash over her as she hooked her legs around his waist, pulling him in deeper, making her feel wholly his. It was easy for her to be vocal, allowing him to know that what he was doing was pleasurable to her. "You're mine," he groaned in her ear as his hips snapped in a faster and faster pace, and she knew that his orgasm was imminent, and she slipped her hand between them to seek out her clit, stroking herself in order to get her close to the precipice as well, want to orgasm with him for their first time together. And then, she was seeing stars as her orgasm washed over her, Aaron following her into the depths of pleasure.


	15. Chapter 15

Penelope felt like she was walking on clouds when she entered the bullpen the next morning. She and Aaron had decided that it would be best if he went in early, and she would follow when it was closer to her usual start time, so as not to arouse too much suspicion. She had woken up to the feel of him peppering her face with kisses, and it had made her feel absolutely adored. And so, it was easy to hum beneath her breath and smile widely at everyone she saw as she made her way up to her office. Once she was inside, she booted up her computer systems before grabbing her coffee mug and heading down to the break room to fill it.

"I thought that you might like something a little better than office coffee this morning."

Looking up, she found JJ standing there, two tumblers in her hands, and she grinned as she nodded, stepping forward to take the cup from her hand. "Did you have a good night last night?" she asked as they went over to her desk. JJ nodded as she took a seat and pulled out her tablet from her bag before stowing it in her desk. "What did Will do for you?"

"He bought me a new bracelet, made up of our birthstones. I just wish that I could wear it here, but I'm so afraid of losing it if we get called out onto the field that I'll probably only wear it when we're definitely home. And how was your night, PG? Someone was a little anxious to get home the entire flight."

Penelope felt herself blush as she brought her cup to her lips and took a long swallow, trying to think of a way to deflect JJ's gentle ribbing when Erin provided her with the perfect out. "Ms Garcia, I don't mean to pull you away from your free time, but I have a rather urgent computer issue that you might be able to help me with. I tried calling the IT desk, but they said that it would take two or three hours to get to me, since they had a few people call off today. I need to get this report in to the Director by ten, so there's no way that I can wait that long. Could you please help me?"

She felt her face soften into a relaxed smile as she nodded, getting to her feet. "All you had to do was ask nicely, ma'am," she replied as she gave JJ a small wave, trying not to giggle at the shocked look on her friend's face. As she followed after Erin, Emily stepped out of the elevators and gave them a shocked look. "Morning, Em!" she called out, waggling her fingers at the woman and smiling, trying to let her know that everything was okay. Still, her face scrunched up into a frown, and Penelope shook her head as she turned her complete focus onto Erin and her troubles.

"You don't have to try and get her to like me. Her mother and I are acquainted, and since she doesn't particularly care for her mother, that disdain has rubbed off on me. Along with something that I asked of her when she first started with the BAU. I chose her for the team, since I knew her mother, and I was hoping that, well, that doesn't matter now, it's water under the bridge."

Penelope nodded as they stepped into her office, Erin closing the door behind them. "All right, so what seems to be the problem?"

"I think that I might have gotten a virus on the hard drive, since it seems to just keep giving me errors. Would you please see if you could save any of my data?"

She nodded as she took a seat behind the computer and began to tap away on the keyboard, quickly finding out that Erin was correct in her assessment. "So, what link did you click on in your email that you shouldn't have?" she asked, trying not to sound frustrated, even though she was. There was at least an hour's worth of work ahead of her, and she took a deep breath before turning her head to look at Erin. The woman was blushing deeply, and Penelope reached out to pat her arm.

"I thought that it was a link from one of my children. I realized as soon as I clicked on the link that there was something wrong, but it was too late."

"It's happened to everyone, Erin. And at least your computer isn't a brick, I can salvage this. However, we do have a slight problem."

"And that would be?"

"It's five after eight, and the earliest I can promise you that this will be completed is half past nine. Unless you were close to finished, I don't think your report is going to be ready by ten. I mean, I try to be a miracle worker, but even I have my limits. Tell you what," she said as she dug some money out of her pocket and thrust it at Erin, "get us some sweet pastries and come back, and see how I've progressed. I think that I will do a little better if you aren't hovering. I know that you mean well, but the tension makes me feel like I'm going to mess up, and I need to have my full concentration on the task at hand." She picked up a pen from Erin's desk and held it above her hand. "And what is the name of the file you were working on, and what program were you using for it?"

Erin quickly rattled off the information she needed, and Penelope took it down before nodding and turning her attention back to the monitor, her fingers flying as fast as possible as she listened to Erin leave the room. Letting out a deep sigh, Penelope frowned as she leaned back in the chair, feeling like she wanted to cry. There was so much work to be done, and she wanted to get it done as quickly as possible for her friend. Taking another long sip of her coffee, she cracked her neck as she continued to tap away at the keyboard.

A soft knock sounded on the door, and she looked up to see Helen standing there. "Yeah?"

"Agent Hotchner wanted to see you, Penelope. Are you at a place where you can talk to him?"

She nodded before starting to work once more. "Yeah, I should be fine to talk and work. Thanks, Helen." Penelope listened to the familiar sound of Aaron's feet enter the room. "Sorry, I need to do this for her, honey. Besides, I don't trust the IT guys not to grumble about what happened behind her back, and she doesn't need that. I hope that you can run the briefing without me?"

"I suppose, but how long do you think you'll be?"

She glanced up at him, seeing the frustrated look on his face, and shrugged a little. "I told Strauss that I might be done by half past nine, but from the way things are looking? It will probably be closer to ten. You should probably bring Kevin in to help with the beginning of this case, and I'll take over for him as soon as I'm done. All right?"

"I suppose. But that means I'll leave before getting to say goodbye to you."

"Well, say goodbye now, then. Strauss is doing a bakery run for us, and shouldn't be back too quickly." He gave her a small nod before coming around the desk and leaning down, pressing his lips against her cheek in a soft kiss. "Stay safe out there, darling. After all, we've only made love once, I want to experience that a million times over."

He chuckled a little before kissing her once more. This time, she turned her head quickly enough to press her lips against his, smiling against his mouth as he fought to keep from deepening the kiss. Finally, he pulled away from her, and caressed her cheek before heading back to the door. "I'll try to fulfill all your wishes, Penelope."

The way he said those words made her squirm in her seat a little, and she shooed him out with her hand so that she wouldn't distract herself once more. As soon as the he had closed the door, she let out a deep sigh and began to get back down to work once more. It seemed like once she made progress one way, another line of code would corrupt, leading to a cascade failure that she had to quickly fix before everything deteriorated into chaos. Soon, her coffee was gone, and it looked like she was only a quarter of the way done with her work.

"How is it going?"

Her head darted up to see that Erin was sitting on her desk, watching her intently, and let out a deep sigh. "It's worse than I thought, but I am making headway. What did you get?"

"Muffins? I thought that they would be a tiny bit healthier than doughnuts or cupcakes."

"As long as you didn't get anything weird like bran. I'm not too keen on bran."

Erin laughed as she shook her head. "No, I bought blueberry, chocolate, lemon poppyseed, pumpkin, cinnamon apple, and honey pear. I thought I'd let you choose the two you want, and then I'll let Helen choose the two she'd like, and I'll take the last two."

Penelope nodded and opened the bag, breathing in the delicious scent of fresh baked goods. "I'm taking the honey pear and the lemon poppyseed," she said as she reached in and pulled out the tray that held them, guessing which was the honey pear, and hoping she was right, otherwise she'd end up with the apple one. Erin nodded as she took the tray back from her, heading back out to Helen while Penelope began to eat the first muffin as she tapped away at the keyboard, hoping that she would make more progress soon, so that Erin could go into her meeting without getting into trouble.


	16. Chapter 16

"Do you know where Agent Hotchner and his team went off to?"

Penelope felt all the blood drain from her face at the furious tone of Erin's voice. Glancing up at her friend, she saw that the woman's mouth was a thin line, the only hint of color in her cheeks, and she thought that she could see a vein throbbing in her forehead. "Will you yell at me more if I tell you?" she asked, hating how timid she sounded. That, though, seemed to break through Erin's anger, as she watched the woman's shoulders slump. Taking a seat in the free chair next to the computer desk, Erin gazed at her, as if trying to mentally calm herself down enough to talk to Penelope once more.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to take this out on you. I'm certain that you're aware of the Red Cell team, as they are the ones who usually take the most pressing cases that the BAU might be involved in. The Director personally oversees them, and picks their cases, even though I am ostensibly their supervisor. Until today, when I refused to allow them to go on a wild goose chase in San Francisco."

Penelope bit her lower lip as she looked down into her lap. "Well, you see, there is this case in San Francisco that Aaron thought needed our attention, since there was a rash of homeless men who were murdered recently. And there may have been a few extra people on the jet."

The older woman let out a weary sigh, rubbing her hand over her face before staring up at the ceiling. "I swear to God, he is going to be the death of me. After he returns, I'm turning over supervision of the Red Cell team completely to the Director. He can deal with a rogue team. I thought that your team was bad enough, but Sam is trying to see just how far he can push the envelope and my patience along with it."

She nodded in sympathy. "But he's really nice?"

Erin cocked an eyebrow at her, and she shrugged as she looked back at her monitors, seeing that there was an update for Aaron. "So, I'll leave you alone for now, since I know what's going on. Tell your partner that I will be calling to check in with him in the next thirty minutes, and he had better be prepared to give me a good answer for why I don't just suspend the whole team when they get back."

Penelope could almost hear a teasing note in Erin's voice, but knew that she couldn't comment on it, instead, just telling her that she would see that he got the message. Erin nodded and left the room, giving her a tiny smile before closing the door behind her. As Penelope dialed Aaron, she tried to think of what she was going to say to him. After all, Erin did have a point, rogue teams had the tendency to get people hurt.

Before she could form a coherent thought, though, Aaron picked up. "Hey Garcia, what do you have for us?"

"Well, first, I love you. I know, I probably should have chosen a more romantic time to tell you that, but with what I'm going to say next, well, you needed some good news."

"What sort of bad news do you have for me?"

She took a deep breath. "Erin knows that the Red Cell team took off with you, and she is madder than a wet hen. I tried to get her to calm down a little, but she told me to tell you that you should expect a very stern call from her in the next half hour. Seriously, Aaron, you don't want to be on her bad side in this."

"She has no reason being angry."

"Yeah, she kind of does. Because to her, the Director is interfering with both of her teams now, and that has to kind of suck. So, when you take her call, be polite, be courteous, and above all, apologise. Profusely. And if you can, get Sam to do the same. I'm about to send you that information you requested, and then you all can get to work on finding this unsub."

"All right," he said a bit dejectedly, and she let out a little sound of comfort. "And I love you, too, Penelope. I'll see you when we get home. I have the feeling that this is going to be a late case."

"I do, too."

She disconnected from the call and got down to work, knowing that she would have to work twice as hard on this case in order to smooth over some of the hard feelings that Erin had in regards to it. And while she knew that her actions alone wouldn't make that large a difference, it was also the little things that Erin seemed to put a lot of faith in. And so, she managed to work through her lunch, finding herself not that hungry. It wasn't until her clock read seven, and the team was still searching for the unsub, though she had managed to find them a few leads, that she really felt hungry.

Getting up, she stretched and cracked her back before rummaging around in her purse to see if she had left any snacks in there. While she was doing that, someone knocked on her door, and she called out, "Come in!" while still pawing through every compartment in her bag.

"I thought that you might like something to eat, and Agent Anderson was kind enough to tell me what your usual Chinese takeout order is. Consider this a bit of a peace offering?"

She looked up to see Erin standing there, not really meeting her eyes, but instead staring at a spot on her chin, as if she didn't very often apologise. And that's what Penelope took it as, even though the word sorry never fell from Erin's lips. "Oh, sugar, I didn't mind you haranguing me earlier. You had every right to be upset with us."

Erin sighed a little as she shook her head, coming over to Penelope's side and taking a seat on the edge of her desk. "I could have been a little more diplomatic. I just saw red when I realized that Sam had drawn Agent Hotchner and the team in to his own little game. Has there been any progress?"

Penelope shrugged a little as took the bag from Erin's hands, opening it and breathing in the delicious scent of sesame chicken. "I've made some progress, but it seems like they don't need me quite so much for this case. One of their members is almost as good at computers as I am, and she's also there, so there's a sense of instant feedback with her that they don't have with me. And this bag is heavier than just one meal. Were you planning on eating with me?"

A bit of a blush grew on Erin's face as she looked away from Penelope before nodding. "It's quiet at home, and you're still here, and even if we don't speak while we eat, there's something companionable about a shared, silent, meal."

"There is that, but it might be nice to talk to you, too. Here, clean off that end of my desk, so that I can be close to my keyboard when they call me for something that they need."

Erin nodded as she neatly stacked all the papers and files that were strewn there, quickly making three equal piles before scooting her chair close to the desk, Penelope following suit. Then she pulled out the cartons of food, keeping the sesame chicken for herself, passing over Erin's food and a pair of chopsticks. There were also a set of egg rolls and steamed dumplings, and she grinned at Erin as she dug into her food. "Did you eat lunch? Agent Anderson mentioned that you didn't come out of your office around noon, like you usually do."

She gave her friend a guilty look, and shook her head. "I did not. I just worked through the day without stopping. This is actually my first real break of the day. And I'm thinking that I won't be leaving here until after two in the morning, given how things are going."

Erin clucked her tongue a little as she speared a piece of broccoli with one of her chopsticks. "You need to take care of yourself, Penelope. And if you really are here that late, do not come in tomorrow. If Agent Hotchner has a problem with that, tell him to see me. I believe that Mister Lynch should be able to cover your shift tomorrow."

"Really?"

"Yes. If the team truly doesn't catch the unsub until the wee hours of the morning, they'll spend most of the day in the hotel room sleeping, anyway, and won't be home until the day after tomorrow. I'm more concerned about your health, and such a short turnaround is unacceptable. And before you say it, sleeping on a sofa here will not do, either."

Penelope nodded as she dug into her food, finding herself ravenous. "You know, I could always get a sofa bed put in here, there's enough room."

The look Erin fixed on her was enough to make her feel like she was ten again, and her mother was about to give her a stern talking to. "I don't think I need to tell you what I think about that idea, do I, Penelope?" She shook her head. "I'm glad we understand each other. However, if there ever is a time when you're working, and you feel like you need to take a short nap in order to get back to full cognitive awareness, just come see Helen, and she'll let you use my sofa. I chose it for its comfortability."

She gave Erin a small smile as she nodded, knowing that she was one of the few people that her boss trusted to do that. It felt good, but it also hurt her heart a little to know just how few people trusted Erin in her department, and she hoped that one day she could help others see what she saw in Erin.


	17. Chapter 17

"What do you mean, I'm going to Alaska with you?" Penelope asked as Aaron came into her office with her. "I don't go out in the field. Ever. Hello, I don't believe in guns, and therefore don't carry one? I thought every field agent had to carry a gun?"

"Usually that is the case, yes. But since this is a very remote town, and since the time difference is so great, I will need you with us. I'm sorry, I know that this isn't an ideal situation, especially since it takes us both away from Jack, but there is no way around this. I've already requisitioned us satellite phones for the case, since it is highly unlikely that we'll have service where we're going."

"I'm also going to need a portable satellite dish for my laptop, otherwise I won't be able to access my databases back here."

"Already thought of that, and it's with the sat phones."

She pouted a little as she nodded, knowing that there were no more excuses she could give. "All right, so I get to see Alaska. But I don't have a go bag!"

"I told Jessica where I keep your apartment key, and she's making one up for you. She promised to have it here by the end of our briefing. I hope that you don't mind that I did that."

Penelope shook her head. "That's fine, it needed to be done. So, let's get this briefing together so that we can get up there. The faster we get there, the faster we can return home." He chuckled a little and nodded, reaching out for her hand. Penelope clasped it tightly, allowing him to pull her to her feet before he spread his hand out in the small of her back, leading her into the conference room, where he called everything to order, and gave a brief outline of what was going on in Franklin. Just as they were about to step into the elevator, Erin came out of her office and gave her a small smile, which she returned before hearing her name called.

"Oh, good, you made it!" she said as she looked at Jessica, taking the small duffle bag from her hands. "Thank you so much for putting that together for me. And tell Jack that I'll try to bring him something back from Alaska, even if it is something small."

"Will do, Penelope. Keep him in line, okay?"

She nodded and hugged Jessica quickly before stepping into the elevator, looking around for Erin. For some reason, it felt important that she connect with the woman once more, but she didn't see her as the doors slid closed, and she pulled out her cellphone and quickly sent her a text. _Never thought I'd get to Alaska, and yet, here I am, about to board the jet and head out on my first case. Any pointers for me? Besides not asking one of the locals to talk dirty to me?_

After she sent her text, Penelope turned her attention to JJ and Emily. "What? Do I have lipstick on my teeth?"

"No, you're just awfully close to Jessica. That certainly seems like a new thing." She felt her cheeks bloom into a deep blush as Emily teased her, and she shook her head. "Oh, so that means this is something old?"

"Prentiss," Aaron said, a note of warning in his voice. Both JJ and Emily giggled lowly, and she wished that a hole would open up in the floor and swallow her whole in that moment. "All you need to know is that whatever is between Penelope and myself, it has the approval of Director Shepherd."

"But what about Strauss?" Emily muttered, and Penelope frowned a little, wanting to defend her friend.

"Strauss was the one who brought it to the Director for approval, actually. It was her good deed for me. She does have a heart, believe it or not."

"I'll choose not for the moment," JJ whispered, and Penelope sighed, knowing that it would be a long road to getting her best friends to accept Erin's place in her life now. All of that was pushed to the backburner, though, as she made herself comfortable on the jet and programmed the satellite phones with all their numbers, putting herself in as the first contact, since she knew that she would be giving them the information they needed. After explaining that to the team, she settled back with her knitting project and tried to relax.

It wasn't until they landed in Anchorage that she checked her phone once more, smiling a little to see the message she received from Erin. _Stay safe out there, the wildlife can be hairy – and I don't just mean the bears. Moose can chase you, too, and they're huge. But if you need anything while you're there, call me using the satellite phone, and I'll see what I can do. And I am serious about staying safe, Penelope._

Letting out a tender sigh, she took a quick selfie before sending it to Erin and then briskly walked over to the group in order to catch up to them. "Did you send that to Erin?" Aaron whispered in her ear as she took her bag from his hand.

"How did you know?"

"Anderson told me that she was looking out for you on cases, bringing you food, little things like that. While I can't pretend to understand what you see in the woman, I won't stand in the way of any friendship that you might form. Besides, it's meant that she's been a little less harsh on our team."

She nodded happily as she dared enough to take hold of his hand, knowing that they could safely do that here, away from the office and not yet in the field. He squeezed her hand gently before tugging her closer to his side, their steps easily falling into a smooth pattern as they made their way to the smallest planes she had ever seen. "You honestly expect me to get in there?"

"Will it help if I ride with you?"

She let out frustrated sigh and nodded, knowing that it was a small concession to her. "And as long as I get to hold your hand the entire way. Oh, and Morgan is in our plane, too, because I'm going to break a few bones in his hand as well."

Aaron laughed deeply as he nodded. "Did you hear that Derek? You're flying with us and the equipment up to Franklin."

"Sounds good, Hotch," he replied and clapped his hand onto her shoulder, squeezing it lovingly. "After all, we wouldn't want to have Baby Girl pass out on her first float plane flight. I'll make certain to point out any interesting features that we see along the way," he teased before helping Rossi and Aaron load the back of the plane with all their bags and equipment. "See you in Franklin, kid!" he called out to Reid as the others boarded their plane and it started to taxi down the runway. Penelope felt her eyes grow large, even as she took a picture of what was happening with her phone, wanting to document what she was experiencing.

Finally, everything was stowed away, and then she was following Aaron onto the plane, sitting in the back with him. It was only then that she noticed Derek would be sitting up front with their pilot, and she felt her lower lip pout out, even as Aaron slipped his arm around her shoulders and drew her close to his chest. "It will be okay, Penelope. These planes are very safe."

"Don't you think I know that? But try telling that to my racing heart!"

He let out a soft chuckle as he pushed her head down onto his chest. "Then listen to my steadily beating heart and allow that to calm you a little. And soon, we'll be in Alaska and you'll be focused on the case, and won't have time to worry."

"I am going to hold you to that, Aaron. And I know that you'll protect me, if I should mess up and put myself in danger." He nodded before surreptitiously kissing the top of her head. A pleased sigh slipped from her lips as the plane took off. Though Aaron has said that this was a very safe plane, Penelope swore she could feel every wind gust that buffeted the plane, and she knew that Aaron was not pleased with how tightly she was holding onto his jacket.

"Hey, Baby Girl, look out the window!" Derek said as he patted her knee. She frowned at him as she sat up, slowly untangling her fingers from Aaron's jacket as she turned and glanced out the window. She had only wanted to look for a brief second, but the gorgeous view held her attention. Gasping a little, she wished that she had a decent camera to take pictures of what she was seeing, and settled for taking some with her phone, knowing that she could look back and remember somewhat. "See? It's not quite so bad when you have something so pretty to focus on."

"I suppose," she muttered, not wanting to acknowledge that he was basically saying I told you so. Aaron chuckled lowly as he closed his hand around her shoulder, squeezing softly as the plane ride continued on. All she seemed able to think of, though, was how much she wished Erin was there with them, seeing this beauty for herself, even though she was certain that it would be very hard to separate the beauty of the place from the horrors that had been committed there.


	18. Chapter 18

"This isn't how the internet is supposed to be used!" Penelope wailed the moment that the team ended their conference with her. They were on their way to Idaho, to try and stop another maniac, though she felt this one much more keenly, since they were using her beloved internet to broadcast unimaginable horrors to a willing, wanting, public. She shuddered once more as she pushed away from the desk and escaped out onto the walkway outside her office, passing back and forth a few times in order to calm herself down.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't realize that someone was walking alongside her until she went to turn around, only to run into a warm body. "You seem to be distracted this morning, Ms Garcia. Do you need to talk about it?"

"Yes?" she whispered as quick tears flooded her eyes. "But it will have to be in my office, Chief Strauss, since I have to be available if the team calls for information."

Erin nodded as she placed her hand on her shoulder, guiding Penelope over to her office and closing the door behind them. She made a quickly beeline for her chair and slumped down in it, burying her face in her hands as she struggled to keep from bursting into tears. "I had to watch what was basically a snuff film, Erin. I know, you're not supposed to make cases personal, but I can't help it with this one, since they're using my turf so well. I can feel, deep in the pit of my stomach, that once more I'm not going to be fast enough or good enough to keep another woman from being hurt, and I am finding that realization to hurt. A lot."

"Because you're a good person." Erin curled her hand around Penelope's shoulder and squeezed softly, trying to offer her some support. Penelope looked up into her face, taking in the gentle smile, and let out a small sigh. "All right, lean in."

She nodded as she leaned against Erin's torso, letting her arms encircle her in a loose, gentle, hug. She could hear Erin hum lowly as she stroked her shoulder, and that caused her to start crying a little, finally allowing herself to be overwhelmed by what she had seen so far on this case. "I want to just bleach my entire brain clean of everything I've seen already. I've been backtracking the ISPs of all the people, if you can call them that, who were watching that live, but I haven't gotten too far yet."

"How long have you been doing that?"

"Ten minutes."

Erin let out a sigh of her own. "That's not very long in the scheme of things, Penelope. Because you can only work as fast as your system works. Try not to be so hard on yourself." She nodded as she took a deep breath, returning the hug that she was receiving. "And the reason why I happened to be in the bullpen is I have a request."

"And that would be?"

"Tabitha would like you to come to our next supervised visitation. There's this movie that she wants to see, and since she knows we're friends, she wants to meet you. And I think I might have a little easier time seeing her with the nanny if you were by my side. I've…"

Her voice trailed off, and Penelope wondered what she had been about to say. She didn't pry, though, since she wanted to continue growing closer to Erin as a friend. "I would be more than honored to go with you. Just tell me when and where to meet you!" She pulled away from Erin and reached over to pick up her phone, opening her calendar and looking at her expectantly.

"Wednesday, at five. We're going to meet at IHOP, her choice, and eat before heading to the movie theatre. You could swing by my office at half past four, and we could ride together. I, I think that I would prefer that, actually."

There was something about the way that request was worded that made her pause, but she nodded all the same as her computer dinged at her. "I'm down for that, too. Whatever is easiest, after all. I'm sorry, I have to see what the system found, and then relay this information to Aaron and the team. But you could come by for lunch, and we could plan more then?"

"I have a lunch meeting with the Director today, Penelope, otherwise I would. But I will look forward to Wednesday."

Penelope nodded as she hugged Erin tightly. There was something about the tone of her voice that called for that tenderness in the moment, and she hoped that her friend understood the meaning behind the embrace. Hesitantly, Erin returned the hug before stepping away from Penelope, giving her a small wave before she almost fled from her office. Sighing a little, Penelope turned back to her monitors and looked at what had been dragged up. There wasn't much, but she took down the name of the people in the area who had watched the stream, and then called Aaron.

"Hey, Penelope. What information do you have for us?"

She quickly told him the names and addresses of the three people she had identified, listening to him tell Morgan and Reid to head out to the places he had written down. "Before you go, I need to talk to you in private, if possible."

"All right."

He sounded confused and she hoped he didn't think that she was breaking up with him over the phone, realizing that she could have phrased things a little better. As soon as she heard a door close, she opened her mouth once more, hoping to assuage his anxiety. "I know, that must have sounded super dramatic, lover, but I have to ask something that you might not be able to answer in a group. Um, how does Erin seem to you when you've been interacting with her lately?"

"Why? Has she hurt you? I knew that being friendly with her would bite you in the behind, but I didn't want to say anything to you, because it was your choice. I can still warn her off, if you need me to."

A part of her loved how defensive he was of her, but she knew that she had to nip that ire in the bud before he did something foolish. "No, no, she didn't upset me! Well, I mean, she did, but it wasn't a bad upset? More like a worried, concerned, upset? Anyway, has she seemed a little off to you lately?"

"Come to think of it, she has been a little more standoffish, to me and Rossi. What's up between you two?"

"You have to promise me that this goes no further than us. Seriously, I'm trusting you with this, since I know that you don't particularly care for her just yet." Taking a deep breath, Penelope rubbed her temple with her free hand before launching into her next few words. "So, she asked me out to a movie and dinner with her youngest daughter, the one I sourced the Christmas present for. And there was just something about the way she asked me, as if she was afraid of slipping up in some way, that set off my hinky senses. Again, not in a bad way, but in a I am very concerned for her way. I guess that I just wanted some sort of confirmation that maybe I'm not blowing things out of proportion?"

There was a short pause before he spoke once more, and Penelope found herself worrying a piece of her skirt between her fingers as she waited. "I trust your instincts in this more than I do my own, honey. You're closer to her than any of us, expect maybe Rossi. There's some history there that I don't know, but I know you probably don't want to ask him about this. So trust yourself and keep a close eye on her. That's what friends do."

"Okay, sugar. Thank you for listening to me. I guess I just needed to talk things out to solidify my thoughts on this. And thank you for not castigating my decision to be friendly with her. I really think that this is one of the few things keeping her sane right now."

"I see." In the background, she heard the door open, and knew that he would have to go. "I'll be right with you, Prentiss. I'm sorry, Penelope, I have to go now. I'm assuming one of us will be calling you soon for more information."

"All right, Aaron. I'll talk to you soon."

They hung up, and Penelope let out a deep sigh as she rubbed her temples once more. There had to be a way to get more information on this puzzle, and she took a deep breath as she tried to think of what she could do. The only other person who was close to Erin in the BAU was her assistant, but would she talk to her? Deciding that she had to take that chance, she looked up Helen's number in the internal directory before dialing. "Chief Strauss's office, how may I help you?"

"Helen, it's me, Penelope. Listen, I'm having dinner with Chief Strauss on Wednesday, but I had a few questions that you might be able to answer for me. I'm a little concerned about her, there was something in her voice that told me everything is not all right with her, but she wouldn't tell me what. I know that you're close to her, so you don't have to tell me anything, but should I be worried?"

There was a brief pause before Helen spoke once more. "You're not alone in your concern for her, but I don't know what is going on. If I did, I would tell you, truly. All I can say is that your kindness and friendship have been a bright spot for her, so please, don't tell me that it was all just a ruse to get you permission to see Agent Hotchner."

"I could never do that to her, or anyone. People who use people for their own gain are scum."

"That is so good to hear. And I'm glad that there's another person looking out for her. After Mark decided to be a jackass, I was worried that it would be only me. Oh, I have to go. There's another call coming in."

Before Penelope could say goodbye, the call was disconnected. She felt a little better, knowing that she wasn't alone in her concern for Erin, and she was more certain than ever that she would be keeping an eye on Erin, ready to jump in and help her friend when she truly needed it.


	19. Chapter 19

"Aunt Penelope!"

She grinned as Jack ran at her, throwing his arms around her legs in a tight hug. She bent down and lifted him up in her arms, hugging him back before giving him a soft kiss on his cheek. "How are you, my little man?" she asked as she carried him into the living room, smiling at Jessica as she took a seat on the sofa and allowing Jack to slide off and sit next to her.

"Good! Do you know when Daddy's going to be back?"

Penelope reached out and ruffled his hair. "I think that he's going to be back later this evening. There were a few loose ends to tie up in Idaho."

"I added that state to my map, with Aunt Jessica's help, yesterday. We don't think that Daddy will ever get to Hawaii, but that's okay."

She grinned as she nodded. "Yeah, it is. So, I get to have dinner with Mrs Strauss and her daughter tomorrow night, since your dad won't be home yet."

"Mrs Strauss has a daughter?" he asked as Jessica got up to answer the door.

"Uh huh. She has two of them, and a son. But we're only going to see a movie with her youngest daughter. It will probably be the new Shrek one, and if it's good, what do you think about all of us going to see it Saturday?"

His eyes grew large as he nodded, smiling excitedly as he leaned over and hugged her tightly once more. "I would love that, Aunt Penelope!" Jessica came back in with the food, and she gave them both a knowing smile as she set the plates down on the table. "Aunt Jessica! Did you hear? We might be going to see Shrek on Saturday!"

"I did, but I think it's only a date for you three, not me."

Jack frowned deeply as he turned his face to Penelope. "Auntie…"

"Would you like it better if we all went as a family, Jackers?" He nodded. "All right, Jess, if you have nothing better to do on a Saturday afternoon, would you mind joining us? You can bring your partner, too, if you want."

"I suppose that I can make time for my favorite nephew!" she replied, giving Penelope a little smile as she took a seat across from them. "And it will just be me, since things ended between Brian and myself. Having a way to distract from the heartbreak will be nice."

Penelope nodded as she reached across the table and rubbed Jessica's hand lightly before they dug into their food, listening to Jack chatter away animatedly about his day, filling Penelope in on all that he had done. By the time he had finished eating, long after she and Jessica had finished, he was nodding in his chair, and Penelope sent him up to get ready for bed before helping clear the table.

"He adores you so much, Penelope."

"And I love him so much, too. It was so easy to fit him into my life, and since he's the closest thing I'll ever have to a son, that makes it all the more dear to me." She had to blink back tears, much to her surprise, and then Jessica was wrapping her arms around her waist as she pulled her in for a tight hug. "Sorry, I'm just a little off kilter when it comes to kids right now. I keep thinking about the fact that Erin can't see her children without a nanny, and how horrible that must feel for her, and my heart keeps breaking itself over and over. I want to hug Jack so tightly and tell him that he never has to worry about this shit that Erin's kids are going through, that no one is going to use him as a pawn in some bitter game that only ends up hurting the kids more than the person you're trying to stick it to."

"Is it that bad?"

She shrugged a little as she boosted herself up on the counter and looked at the floor. "I might be extrapolating between the lines a little with the details that Erin's told me, and what I found out when I did a little snooping. But if your husband is enough of a jackass to serve you divorce papers on your birthday? I don't think that I'm reading too much into the situation. And…"

"Yes?" Jessica asked as she took a seat on the table, looking at her expectantly.

"I'm concerned about her drinking. She came over to my apartment a few weeks ago, after Mark got full custody of the children, and she had already had some to drink, and then we demolished a few bottles of wine between the two of us in the space of three hours. The next morning, she tried to act like she had a hangover, but looking back on it, I don't think that she did. And I would never confront her about this, I'm just using you as a sounding board to work out my feelings. I'm not the only one who's concerned, but Helen can't figure out what's wrong, either, and I just want to hold her close as I dig and dig until I figure out what's going on."

"Well, it sounds like you'll have the opportunity to do just that tomorrow evening. Though if I could give you some advice?" Penelope nodded. "Don't push, don't dig, just be there for her and let her tell you what's wrong on her own. She'll resent you if you poke and prod too much, and I know that you want to keep her friendship."

"That's going to be really difficult, Jess."

"I know, because you're a fixer and want to make everything right. I was so mad at you, you know."

"You were? When?"

"That case in Milwaukee. Aaron had been suspended, and it looked like he was finally going to end up with a white collar crimes job, which might have saved their marriage. I knew that he wasn't happy with the corner that Haley had forced him into, that he wouldn't be happy away from the BAU, but he would have been home for Jack. And then you muffed that up by arranging a ghost in the machine and sucked him right back into this world. It took me months to work past that, but Haley told me that you were a good person, and didn't know about the tensions the BAU created in their marriage."

"Oh," she breathed out as she nodded. "I just didn't want to lose my family. I had fought so long to find a family that wanted me, after everything that I went through with my real family. I guess, in a way, I'm responsible for Haley's murder?"

Jessica's face fell as she shook her head, slipping off the table and hurrying over to her side, grabbing her hands and squeezing them tightly. "No. You did everything in your power to stop Foyet. He was the one that chose to make things personal, and if it hadn't been Aaron, it would have been someone else on the team."

Penelope nodded as she blinked rapidly. A loud sniffle escaped her mouth as she shook her hands free and then hugged Jessica tightly as she struggled to keep from crying. "Thank you," she murmured in her ear as she slid off the counter and hooked her chin over the woman's shoulder. "Would you mind if I spent the night here, too? I just want to be with the people who love me tonight."

"I think that that would be lovely. I'll go check on Jack if you want to find something for us to watch."

"I can do that," she replied as they disentangled themselves from each other and went their separate ways. While Jessica went upstairs, Penelope easily made her way to the living room, quickly calling up something that looked funny on Netflix before pulling out her cellphone and texting Erin. _I hope that you're having a good evening, Rin. Jess and I are going to watch a movie before falling asleep tonight. I am really looking forward to seeing you and Tabitha tomorrow, but I forgot to ask something. Since we'll have a nanny keeping tabs on us, should I dress a little more subdued? I don't want my behavior to reflect negatively on you. Especially if we're going to go for shared custody. And before you say that this is a pipe dream, I want you to know that this is my goal to help you achieve. Because no one should be forced to jump through these ridiculous hoops. _

She pressed send before she read back her words, looking up to see that Jess had joined her, a wry smile on her lips. "You spend your life in your phone."

"It comes with the job," she replied as she pressed the play button, settling in to watch the movie. They were about halfway through when her phone vibrated against her thigh. Taking a deep breath, she picked it up and saw that she had two messages. Opening the one from her Aaron, she saw that they were going to be coming home early the next morning, and she answered him quickly, letting him know that she was spending the night, and that she'd be occupied the following evening. With that message sent, she opened Erin's, feeling her breath catch in her throat a little.

_I'm glad that someone has faith in my children returning to me, since it seems like a pipe dream at this point. I know that I have issues that make it difficult for us to be reunited, but maybe someday. And it might be better if you did tone it done a little. I hate to ask that of you, you shouldn't have to dull your sparkle to make a good impression for me. Though I appreciate the gesture. And I'm appreciative of the fact that you're not going to back out on me. I was worried. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon._

Penelope rubbed her lips together a few times before answering Erin. _I couldn't do that to you, sweetling. Or to Tabby. Sleep well, and I'll have my phone by my head if you need to call in the middle of the night for any reason. Love you._

After sending that text, she slipped the phone back into her skirt pocket and turned her attention to the movie once more, not truly taking in the fact that she had very casually told Erin that she loved her. Though the small voice in the back of her mind told her that honesty was always spoken in moments such as this, and a flicker of a smile crossed her face as she settled back into the sofa, finding her mind quickly occupied by what was happening on screen, and any thought of Erin or Aaron relegated to the subconscious as she enjoyed her time with Jessica.


	20. Chapter 20

Penelope took one last look at herself in the bathroom mirror, frowning as she took a look at her reflection. Though she had tried to tone down her look, to make herself look more like Jayje or Emily. She had chosen a pale blue blouse and a dark blue skirt that had golden swirls of stars and comets strewn across it. While the skirt reached her calves, Penelope couldn't help but add a few petticoats beneath to lend the skirt some body, unable to sacrifice that one nod to her own style. "Hopefully, the nanny isn't too put off by this," she murmured as she applied a fresh coat of lip gloss, smacking her lips together a few times in an effort to calm her nerves before leaving the bathroom and stepping out into the hallway.

Aaron was just coming out of the bullpen, and she caught his eye and smiled before waggling her fingers at him. He nodded and came up to her side, reaching out to rest his hand on her shoulder. "You look nice today, I never told you that."

"Thank you. I feel so underdressed, but this is more appropriate for what we're going to do. I don't know what time I'll be home, so I'll text to let you know that it's okay to call. Hopefully, we'll have the weekend together."

"I hope so, too," he replied, squeezing her shoulder three times before letting go. "I hope that you have an enjoyable evening."

"I just hope that it goes well, for Erin's sake. See you later!" She gave him a small wink before turning and making her way to Erin's office. Helen gave her a little smile as she nodded, and Penelope slipped right into the inner office, heading over to Erin's desk and taking a seat in front of her, waiting for Erin to finish her call before clearing her throat and shrugging a little. "This was as toned down as I could get, Erin. It's not too much, is it?"

"No, you look lovely. Again, thank you for indulging Tabitha like this. I know that your time with Aaron is precious and fleeting, and you could be home with him tonight."

"Sugar, there will be other nights, and we have ways to stay in contact when he's out in the field. This? Is so much more important than my relationship with him, for all that I love him. He understands, because of Jackers. So, let's head out and meet Tabitha at IHOP." She made certain to keep her smile open and wide, knowing that Erin was most likely hurting deeper than she let on in that moment.

They both rose to their feet at the same time, and Erin picked up her purse from her desk as they left the office. "Helen, hold all my calls until tomorrow, unless it's the Director, and then inform him that I am on a visit with my daughter. I'll see you in the morning."

"Of course, Chief Strauss. I hope that you both have a good evening with her!"

Penelope felt her brow wrinkle a little at the tone in Helen's voice, thinking that there was something almost a little too friendly in that moment. It wasn't until they were in the elevator, heading down to the ground floor, that she asked the question burning in her throat. "Helen does know that I'm dating Hotch, right?"

Erin blushed a little as she nodded. "I believe that since I have few friendships inside the BAU, or outside, for that matter, Helen feels like there's something special about you. She just doesn't know that you're thoroughly stubborn in making certain that people like you, and that you've somehow worked that spell on me. And, I do, too, in reply to your text."

Erin fell silent as she pulled out her phone and began to scroll through something on her screen, leaving Penelope silent as she thought about their last text exchange. "Oh," she breathed out as it hit her, what she had said. Darting her eyes over at Erin, she could just detect the faintest hint of a pleased smile on her lips, and she nodded in response, knowing that there would be no point in pressing Erin to say anything else aloud, as that wasn't her style. Instead, Penelope just let out a pleased sigh as she shifted a tiny bit closer to her friend as they rode the rest of the way down.

The drive to the restaurant didn't take as long as she thought it might, though since it was an odd hour, that might explain for a little of that. Tabitha was waiting outside the doors, an expectant, hopeful, look on her face, and when she caught sight of them, the smile that spread across her lips seemed to dazzle more brightly than diamonds. "Mama!" she called out as she pulled away from the woman standing dourly next to her, and Penelope had to fight to keep her expression placid when the woman narrowed her eyes at them.

Drawing in a deep breath, she straightened her shoulders and approached her side, allowing Erin and Tabitha some privacy. "Hello, I'm Erin's friend, Penelope Garcia," she said as she held out her hand to the woman.

She had been expecting a limp fish handshake, and so was pleasantly surprised at the firm grip she received instead. "I'm Dawn Cole. I didn't realise that Erin would bring a friend with her tonight."

"Yes, well, Tabitha invited me, and I find it really hard to say no to sweet young women like her, probably because I wish that I had had a mentor when I was her age. I believe that Erin informed you Tabitha decided to watch Shrek?"

"Yes, though this will be my fifth time seeing it, since my children have become obsessed with the movie."

Penelope nodded as Erin and Tabitha joined them. Her daughter was glued to her side, one arm wrapped around her waist as if to dare Dawn to try and separate them. Penelope gave her a tiny wink as they went inside and they were seated within minutes. Penelope had expected to sit by Dawn's side, but from the look the woman gave Tabitha, she knew that that wasn't going to happen, and she fought not to frown as she slid into the booth and picked up her menu, trying not to snap at Dawn when she felt Erin's leg trembling against hers, letting her know just how much that move upset her.

The meal was stilted, even though Penelope tried to keep up a running conversation with all of them, and she was grateful when Tabitha's nanny cleared her throat after she had paid for the meal. "We'll meet you at the movie theatre. The showing that I booked tickets for begins in thirty minutes, which should leave enough time to get snacks beforehand, if you want."

"That will be fine, we'll meet you there." Erin's reply was frosty, and Penelope knew that she was trying to hold herself together. As soon as Tabitha was dragged off by Dawn, Penelope turned to Erin, about to say something. "Don't. Please, don't. I need, I need, I need something that I can't ask of you in this moment."

"What? You can't ask me for a hug? Honey, friends hug all the time, and you are so my friend." Before Erin could protest, Penelope leaned over and hugged her tightly, pressing her lips against her cheek in a fast kiss before sliding out of the booth and smiling down at her. "I just want you to be happy, Erin. And I will do everything in my power to make ensure that happens for you. Now, let's head out. Popcorn and Swedish Fish are calling my name! Plus, we need to make certain that we get good seats. In fact, why don't you and Tabitha grab us a place to sit while I get snacks with Ms Cole?"

"If you can get her to agree to that, I would love it."

Penelope nodded as they climbed into Erin's car and headed to the theatre. Somehow, they found a spot right next to Dawn's car, and they all went into the building together. "So, let's get those snacks while Erin and Tabitha find us some good seats," she said as she took hold of the woman's arm and steered her over to the food counter. "After all, ten minutes alone, in a movie theatre, won't harm anything, will it?"

To her surprise, the woman shook her head, even though she frowned at Penelope as they got in line. "You are trying to help Erin's chances of getting custody, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Good, she needs good people by her side, and Mark might just have met his match in you." She looked around, as if she expected someone to be listening in on their conversation, before focusing on Penelope once more. "I have to be harsh, because I have to appear impartial. I know that you'll find it hard to believe that, but I cannot look like I'm showing any leniency towards her. But if she has a friend like you, willing to keep her on the straight and narrow, I'm certain that she'll win out in the end."

From those words, Penelope knew that there was more to Erin's story than what she had been told, and she knew that she had to dig a little deeper with her friend, if only to help ensure that her children returned to her sooner rather than later. "I will keep that in mind and do whatever I can to make Erin's way as easy as possible, as long as you promise to be as fair as possible. That is the only way that we can win, agreed?"

"Agreed." Dawn nodded firmly as they approached the cashier and placed their order, and Penelope only hoped that they would truly be able to work together, and that Aaron wouldn't mind her taking on a new challenge. Only time would tell, however, though she hoped the outcome would always be in their favor.


	21. Chapter 21

Penelope woke up from her sleep to a racing heart, and she looked over at her nightstand to see that the culprit was her phone blaring out Aaron's ringtone. Blearily, she brought the device to her ear and groaned. "What?"

"We caught a brutal case in California, and Erin has asked that we personally oversee it, rather than the Red Cell team, even though they would be much better suited to this case. I need you to dress and get to the office as soon as possible."

"All right, I'll be there as soon as possible, honey. But how can you sound so awake at two in the morning?"

"I haven't gone to bed yet. After you left, I still had some paperwork to finish."

"You should have kicked me out earlier! I would have understood."

"I enjoy spending time with you, and we can sleep on the flight out to California."

"All right, I'll see you soon, then." They hung up without saying goodbye, and Penelope stripped off her pyjamas before hurriedly dressing, making herself look as presentable as she could as quickly as possible. As she waited for her coffee to brew, Penelope scrolled through her notifications, seeing that Erin had texted her about the case she was about to go into, and she smiled as she returned the text, thanking her for the information and asking her to stop by her office if she was there that early.

Once her coffee was in her travel mug, Penelope slung her purse over her shoulder and went down to her car, somehow managing to make it in to the BAU whole, though not quite certain of her drive. Somehow, Aaron knew exactly when she would arrive, as when she stepped out of the elevator, he was there, and she welcomed the way he slung his arm around her waist as they made their way up to the briefing room. "That didn't take you too long."

"The traffic is pretty light at this time of the morning," she responded through a wide yawn, trying not to nuzzle her face against his shirt. "You're headed to California, yes?"

"Yes, as soon as I give you a rundown on the searches I need you to run for us while we're in the air. The others have already headed down to the garage to claim an SUV."

"I didn't realise I was that late," she muttered as she unlocked her office and led them inside.

"You were the last person I called, since I wanted you to get the most sleep. We can nap on the plane while I'm asking you to run searches for us, so it was only fair that you were the last one contacted." Penelope let out a pleased purr as she started her system up before grabbing a pen from her desk and looked at him expectantly. He nodded and listed off what the initial searches they needed were before letting out a long breath. "I'm not going to lie to you, Penny. I have a gut feeling about this case, that something is going to go horribly wrong. I haven't felt like this since we were in Canada."

"Oh," she breathed out, biting her lip a little as she looked at him. "Well, tell everyone to stay safe, and make certain that you do everything in your power to not take unnecessary risks. Jack needs his Daddy to come home. And I need you to come home, too." He gave her a small nod and then she was closing the distance between them before snaking her arm around his neck and pulling him in close for a bruising kiss, trying to impart to him just how much he meant to her. Aaron returned the kiss, his hand slipping down to cup her bum as he brought her closer to his body, and she longed to be able to melt into him. There was no time for that, however, and she reluctantly pushed him away before smiling up into his face. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Penny. And we'll be home before you know it." She nodded, watching him leave and then taking a seat in front of her computer, quickly entering the information that needed to be sought after. While that was going, Penelope gulped at her coffee, feeling like she was about to fall asleep at her monitor if she didn't have some caffeine coursing through her system. Still, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, feeling like she was going to fall asleep at any moment. Feeling a soft hand on her upper arm, Penelope started abruptly, shaking her head to clear away the cobwebs in order to look up into Erin's drawn face.

"Did something happen to the team while I was out of it?" she asked, hurriedly pulling out her phones to see if she had any messages from them, only to see that they were most likely still in the air. Which meant that Erin was upset about something else. "Did Mark do something?"

Erin sank down onto the edge of her desk and began to worry a piece of her skirt before her fingers, refusing to meet Penelope's eye as she spoke. "It's not Mark, and it's not this case, though it does involve your team. And I have the sickening feeling that I'm about to lose your friendship when I tell you this, even as I have to swear you to complete secrecy. I just knew that I didn't want to blindside you with this when it comes to light."

"You're scaring me, Erin."

That caused the woman's head to shoot up, and the raw pain that she saw in her eyes cut her to the quick. Instantly, she reached out and took hold of Erin's hands, holding on firmly as she waited for her to speak once more. "Next week Monday, I am going to be having a meeting with Agent Jareau and inform her that she had been head hunted from us by another agency. Her skills as a media liaison have been widely spoken of in the circles I run in for work, and I knew that it was only a matter of time."

It took Penelope's brain a moment to catch up to Erin's words, and then she was squeezing her hands tighter, not wanting to give Erin the opportunity to flee, now that her news was out in the open. "I'm taking it that she doesn't have a choice in the matter."

"No, and I also know that there is no one on your team, save yourself, that will believe me when I say that I fought against this sniping. Agent Jareau is a talented woman and we need her skills in the BAU, but I was overruled by the Director. I'm so sorry, Penelope."

"Do you think that I could wreak some hacking chaos and get things to change? I know how to do it well enough to not get caught."

Erin let out a watery laugh as she shook her head. "I honestly don't think that would be a viable solution, dear. Because it's only the Director and myself who know about this, and the trail would very easily lead back to me, and then you, and we would both be reprimanded, if not suspended or fired. I wouldn't allow you to put yourself in the line of fire because of my loose lips. Please, please, promise me that you won't tell anyone, not even Aaron."

"Of course I'll keep your confidence, Erin. Emily is going to be pissed, you know."

"I do. And that is entirely my fault, given how I treated her when she first expressed interest in joining the BAU. There are so many things that I am not proud of. And if you were to ask me about them, at any other time, I wouldn't answer you. Late nights loosen my tongue, it seems."

Penelope sighed as she rolled closer to Erin, letting go of her hands so that she could rest them on her knees as she stared into Erin's face. "I should hate you, and if I hadn't seen behind this mask that you feel you have to wear here, I probably would be so angry with you. But I think you know as well as I do that things have changed between us, to the point where you would trust me with this information, even though I could use it against you by informing Aaron and Jayje. And I honestly don't know why you trust me."

"Because you've kept my secrets about Mark and the children."

She nodded a little as she pursed her lips together, trying to keep from crying. "This is going to suck so much. How can we function without Jayje? She's the mom of our team, even if she's one of the youngest."

"You'll find a way, I promise. And I will look for any way possible to get her back. I'm not going to lose her without a fight."

"And that is the woman I've grown to admire so much." Penelope felt her smile soften a little as she continued to stare into Erin's face. "We'll do our best to find a way to bring her home. With your political machinations and my tracking and hacking skills, I'm certain that we can make it happen. Just you watch."

Erin nodded as Penelope got to her feet, pulling the woman into a quick hug. "Now, if you want to nap, I can watch your screens for about an hour. If that would help."

"That would so help, Erin, thank you. But if you start to hear a number of pings, wake me up. That means I have news to deliver, and they'll be waiting for it." The woman nodded as Penelope made her way over to her sofa, stretching out on it as her eyelids again began to feel heavy, wondering if this was the bad feeling that Aaron had had about this case.


	22. Chapter 22

"You knew what Erin did."

She looked up into her partner's eyes and shook her head slowly before turning back to the dishes in the sink in an effort to avoid his accusing gaze. "What makes you think that?" she asked quietly as he came up to her side and took hold of her wrist gently.

"Because of the way that you reacted. Or, I should say, didn't react. So, all along you knew that Erin had allowed her to be taken by the State Department, and you didn't say anything to me? That's a rather large breach of trust."

She frowned as she pulled her arm out of his light grasp, turning so that she could glare up into his face. "That's so rich, Aaron. I was asked to keep this confidence, because she knew that if I was blindsided by it, I would have been even angrier than Emily is! Erin needed to let someone know, and she knew that not only could she trust me, she also knew it would hurt me and that there was the likelihood that I might do something reckless. Or do you not remember my temper?"

Aaron nodded a little as he gestured towards the kitchen table, and she let out a deep sigh as she stepped away from the sink and dried her hands off before taking a seat. "How about we share a glass of wine and talk about things, before it gets too out of hand. I don't like fighting, not when time is so limited."

"Are you planning on breaking up with me?" she teased, needing some levity to clear out the lingering tension in the room. He shook his head, and Penelope flashed him a quick smile as she watched him grab a bottle out of the wine rack and poured them each a glass before coming over to her side and taking a seat next to her.

"That did sound more ominous than I wanted it to, Penny. I was more thinking of the fact that we're only allotted so many days in our lives, and it's a waste to spend them angry at the people we love."

She nodded as she took her glass from his hand, sipping at the shiraz before letting out a deep sigh. "I think that we could go one step further and say that it's a waste to spend any waking minute angry at anyone longer than necessary."

He raised an eyebrow at her and she shrugged a little as she took another sip. "If you mean that I should be nicer to Strauss, I think that you know that will be a cold day in Hell, darling. Even if you were to become her best friend, I don't think I'd ever be anything more than cordial to her. There's too much bad blood between us to be nice."

"Never say never, Aaron. You know that I can work magic on anyone." She winked at him as she swirled her wine around in her glass. "And that is why I am so glad that you're going to be home tomorrow, because I'll get to work my magic on you."

He blushed a little, which made her chuckle, before nodding and taking a large drink of his wine. "We still have to get Jack down to sleep before that can happen."

"Anticipation is the best aphrodisiac, Aaron," she practically purred out as she dipped her finger into her glass and then sucked off the few drops that clung to her skin. "Now, I'm going to join him and Jess in the living room, I'm certain they think we've been kidnapped by pirates right about now." Getting up, she bent down and pressed her lips against the top of his head before ruffling his hair a little, wishing that he had a little more so that she could truly muss it up. He let out a small snort before joining her, taking hold of her free hand as they went into the living room.

Jessica looked up at them, a small smirk dancing on her face, and Penelope shrugged as she plopped down onto the sofa next to her, watching Hotch take a seat in his comfortable chair. It didn't take Jack more than three minutes to get up from his spot on the other side of Jessica and rush over to Aaron's side, clambering up into his lap and resting his head against Aaron's chest. That move told Penelope that he was much closer to falling asleep than she had realized, but that fit in perfectly for their future plans. "So, anything new going on at work?"

Penelope's nostrils flared a little as she quickly glanced at Hotch, wondering if he would be the one to tell Jessica, or if she should. He gave her a small shrug and she nodded before taking a small sip of wine. "Well, we're about to be down a member, as Jayje was headhunted from our team. Her last case was this one, before she goes to join the State Department. I'm going to miss her like crazy, but it will be better for her, in the long run, since this means that she'll be home more often for Henry. And getting to spend more time with our children is always the dream, isn't it?"

"You had to point out the other thing I didn't think of, didn't you?" Aaron asked, and she nodded, smiling sweetly before taking a deep breath. "That is the one thing I do miss, watching Jack grow up. Thankfully, Jess sends me enough pictures to keep me in the loop, but it still aches." He hugged his son close, and Penelope sighed as she noticed that Jack had quickly fallen asleep in his father's arms. "I'm going to run him up to bed, and then we can finish this show?"

"Sounds good, Aaron. But bring him here so I can kiss him goodnight," she replied as he set aside his wine glass and awkwardly got to his feet, maneuvering Jack onto his shoulder before coming over to the couch. Penelope leaned up and kissed Jack's cheek, then watching as Jessica copied the gesture. Once he was gone from the room, Penelope turned to Jessica and frowned a little. "Aaron's upset with me, and even though we talked about it just a few minutes ago, I feel like this might become a larger issue between us. Did, did Haley ever talk to you about how to go about things when he's upset?"

Jessica clucked her tongue a little as she scooted closer to Penelope and picked up her hand, squeezing it a little as she took a few moments before answering. "He gets quiet. Things seem okay, because you've discussed it, but he's still ruminating on it in the back of his mind, and will come around to it later on. Haley was a lot like you, quick to anger, quick to get it out of her system, but she loved Aaron so much that she could overlook that slow burn of his. Have patience when he returns to the subject, he was a lawyer after all, and trained to deal with things methodically and in a thorough manner. But why is he upset with you?"

"I knew about JJ leaving us a full week before anyone else found out. Erin wanted me to know, so that I wouldn't do anything rash when it came out. I mean, she does know me quite well, it seems, since I would have tried to find a way to stop it, like I did for Aaron and Emily during that awful Milwaukee case. But while our hands are tied now, we're committed to finding a way to get her back from the State Department. Even if it takes a few months to do so."

"I should have known that you had a plan in place," Jess said as she chuckled a little, squeezing her hand softly. "Though I know that Strauss is a sore spot between the two of you, it seems like your friendship with her has been good for both of you. I won't tell Aaron that, though. Some things should be kept between friends."

They giggled together before Penelope finished off her glass of wine and set it aside. "I just want everything to be fine between all of us. I guess I'm just a natural peacemaker, and once I'm friends with someone, it takes a lot to lose that friendship. Erin's been really open and honest with me about so much that she didn't have to reveal that I can't help but find my heart soft when it comes to her. I know that no one else gets it, not really, but if I'm truly the miracle worker I claim to be, well, I'll eventually get everyone to come around to my way of thinking."

"Good luck with that, Penny," she said as they heard Aaron come back into the living room, and she nodded as they all scooted down to make room for him on the end of the sofa, settling in to finish watching the movie that was currently playing. From the way that Jessica said that, Penelope knew that there was definitely going to be a larger fight coming in the future and she shivered a little before snuggling close to Aaron's side, trying desperately not to think of Erin's words to her when she had received the greenlight to begin a relationship with him. She knew that there was no way that she could even start to think about losing her love with Aaron, not when she felt more and more like he was the one.


	23. Chapter 23

"You're a bit mopey today, Penelope," Anderson said as they went into the break room together. She shrugged a little as she filled her mug to the brim with coffee before drifting over to the table and picking up a cookie, nibbling on it as she waited for the man to ask her for more information. He was good at trying to get the best gossip, and she let out a soft sigh as she took a seat in the chair closest to her before indicating for him to do the same. "That doesn't bode well. Is there trouble in paradise?"

"I honestly don't know. We got in a bit of an argument over the fact that I knew some important information before he found it out, and he's furious that I was read into the situation at all. It's not like I chose to be placed in that position, it's just that it was more prudent that I know beforehand. We hashed it out, but I still feel, and Jessica agrees with me, that there's a storm brewing, and it bothers me more than I care to admit."

He nodded in sympathy before reaching out and rubbing her hand a few times to comfort her. "You should probably talk about that more in depth before things fester."

She rolled her eyes a little as she smiled at him. "I've tried, but he insists that it's water under the bridge, and I don't want to push harder, for fear that I'll tip the boat over for the want of rocking it?"

"Well, then, you'll just have to chip away at the stony façade of his until you are able to get to the bottom of things. After all, we don't want the power couple of the BAU to break up."

Penelope let out a loud laugh, shaking her head as she picked up another cookie and took a rough bite before chasing it down with a sip of coffee. "We're a power couple now?"

"Well, yeah. It's not like either of you are very secretive when it comes to your relationship, and since you're so good at the computer, and he's the leader of the most prestigious of the individual units in our overall unit, well, that all adds up to a power couple. The only way things could get juicier for our department would be if one of your unit started dating Chief Strauss!"

Penelope choked on a crumb of her cookie as her eyes widened in shock. Anderson gave her an odd look, and then the blood drained from his face when Erin's familiar cough caught his attention. "I can assure you that there will be none of that in the near future, or ever, Agent Anderson. The rules are a little more hard and fast for me, if I even were to want to date someone in my department." He nodded frantically as he pushed his chair away from the table and popped to his feet, brushing past the woman and nearly tripping over the corner of the doorway in his haste to get away from the situation he had created. "He has to be careful with what he says, otherwise it might be overheard by the wrong pair of ears. I was wondering if you had a few minutes before you had to call one of your team with search results?"

She nodded as she stood up, brushing the remaining crumbs off her skirt as she went over to Erin's side. "What do you need?" she asked as they went out into the hallway and over to her office. Eri didn't say anything until they were behind the closed door of her office and seated in the chairs in front of her desk.

"It's been a little while since I've asked you to join us on a supervised date. But this time, I get all three of my babies, and well, since it went so well last time, would you be willing to join me once more? The last two meetings, where it's just been myself, one of my children, and Dawn, have not gone as I would have liked them. I know, it's a lot to ask of you, especially since your time is so precious, but…"

"Erin, there's no need to be so hesitant about requesting my time. I enjoyed Tabitha's company so much, which lends me to believe that I'll like Karen and Bruce just as much. Give me a time and a place, and I'll be there."

The woman's face relaxed a little as she nodded, reaching out to touch Penelope's hand hesitantly. She waited, allowing Erin to make the first contact, since she knew that it took a lot for the woman to be so vulnerable with anyone, but once Erin's fingers were curling around her hand, Penelope quickly finished the clasp, holding on tightly as she stared into the woman's eyes. "I keep forgetting how easy this is with you. I wish that I could afford to be that easy, though I am grateful that I have you to remind me that there are kind people in this world."

To her surprise, a few tears began to fall down Erin's face, and she slowly reached up her free hand to swipe them away as they sighed in unison. "Well, given what you've been through here, I don't blame you for reacting the way you've reacted at times." She went to lean in for a hug, only to smell the faint whiff of wine on her breath. "Erin?"

"I know. You don't have to say it."

"All right, but may I least first hug you, and then give you a small spot of advice?" There was a brief pause before Erin gave a jerky nod. Letting go of her hand, Penelope leaned in and softly enfolded her in a gentle hug. Though she knew that Erin would prefer if she let go of her quickly, Penelope instead hung on to Erin for a full thirty seconds, finally feeling her melt into her body as her head came to rest against her shoulder, the first strangled sob escaping her lips the longer they embraced. Finally, she went to pull away, only for Erin to shake her head and hold her tighter. "All right, take as long as you need," she whispered, her hand spreading out on her back. "I don't know if that's fresh wine breath, or left over from last night, honey, but you have to know that you might have a problem. I know that you're stressed, what with everything that's going on in your life right now, but if Mark were to even get a whiff of this? I know that he'd do everything in his power to ensure that you never saw your kids again."

"I know," Erin whispered brokenly as she pulled away from Penelope and got to her feet, heading over to the table in her desk and grabbing a few tissues from the box and swiping at her face, cleaning away the tears. "It's all just spiraling out of control, and you're the only one who's noticed."

"No, Erin, I'm not the only one. Helen is concerned, too, and we just want the best for you. I know that you don't talk to people, that that's not you, but in this case, I think that you might need to reach out to someone other than myself. Let a good therapist listen to you. There are a few that I could recommend, if you want. Just promise me that you will think about this."

Their eyes met, and Penelope could read the raw pain in her expression before the blank mask that Erin normally wore slammed back into place. "I will think about it."

"And if you find yourself wanting to get lost in a bottle, call me, and get lost in me."

"I can't do that."

Penelope frowned as she jumped up and crossed the room, resting her hand on Erin's shoulder as she looked into the woman's eyes. "Why not?"

"Aaron already is uneasy about our friendship. If I used you as a crutch for my own failings, he would be even more uneasy about things. I couldn't help but overhear part of your conversation with Agent Anderson, and I don't want to be the cause of more discord in your relationship. Now, about my next opportunity to see my children is quite soon, it took me a few days to work up the courage to ask you."

"How soon?"

"Tomorrow evening. There's a concert that they all want to go to, and I agreed to take them, as long as you were provided with a ticket as well."

"What are we going to see?" she asked, knowing that she wouldn't tell Erin no.

"The Piano Guys."

Her jaw dropped before she let out a pleased little squeal. "No fucking way! You procured tickets for all six of us to see The Piano Guys?"

"Correction, Mark did. He's the one that has the contacts to allow for this on such short notice. And while I don't know how much, if anything, he paid for the seats, I know that they're good ones. So, I take it that this is a yes?"

"Yes! They're touring with Lindsay Sterling, and I never thought I'd have the opportunity to see them together, since tickets sold out so quickly! Thank you!" As she grinned at Erin, she wrapped her up in another tight hug, her feet tapping excitedly. "And this time, I don't have to worry about what I wear, because it's a frakking Lindsay Sterling gig, and I won't look out of place. Um, weird question, though. We'll be out late, and given that you'll probably want to carpool once again, would you mind if I brought a small bag along and spent the night at your place?"

"As long as you bring your car to my house; it would look decidedly odd if we showed up in the same vehicle the next morning, since your relationship with Aaron is the worst kept secret in the BAU." Penelope nodded hurriedly before stepping away from Erin and picking up her hand, squeezing firmly as she let out a sigh. "You are too easy to please at times, dear."

That was the second time Erin had unthinkingly called her an endearment, and she knew enough not to comment on that, instead shrugging a little before replying. "I love what and who I love. People shouldn't be difficult to please, not when you know them well. And I have the feeling that you know me quite well, even though I don't know as much as I'd like about you. That will come with time, when you trust me enough to let me in more. And maybe you can regale me with stories on the way to the venue?"

"We'll have to see about that." Still, Erin was now smiling once more, and Penelope felt like she had done something good that morning. "Now, get back to your office before Aaron calls and says that I'm monopolizing too much of your time." Penelope nodded, squeezing Erin's hand warmly before exiting the office, feeling like she was walking on air.


	24. Chapter 24

"We're going where?"

"Out on a proper date. I feel like Erin and her children spend more time with you than I do. Jessica has agreed to keep Jack for the evening, so we can head back to my home after our date and let the night lead where it may. I miss you."

She sighed a little at the tone of voice Aaron was using, since it almost felt like he was trying to guilt her over the amount of time she spent with her friend. "That will be fine, dear." She smiled tightly before leaning in and kissing his cheek. "I'm so glad that we're home after that horrid case you dragged me out on."

"We needed you there, and you were a great facilitator between the local police and the families and us. I know that you don't like having to be that close to all that gore, but you did an amazing job, and I want to celebrate you and what you did in Ohio." He pulled away a little so that he could cup her chin and look into her eyes. "I love you."

Those were the only words that he needed to speak to her, and she melted a little as she nodded, puckering her lips in clear invitation. He smiled before kissing her softly, his hand cupping the back of her head as he deepened the kiss and she sighed as she wrapped her arm around his neck in order to encourage him to linger on her lips, completely forgetting that they were still in his office. A softly clearing throat caused her to spring back from Aaron's embrace, and she glanced over at her doorway to see Rossi standing there, a lecherous grin on his lips. "I was about to ask if the two of you wanted to come over for supper tonight, but it seems like you're already feeding your hunger. And in the office, too! What would Erin say if she were to catch you?"

"She's the one that approved of our relationship, Dave," Aaron said as he tugged at the hem of his suit jacket, "so I hardly think that she's have much to say. And if she did, well, there are things that I could say, too, even if Penelope would like me to be kinder towards the woman."

Thankful that his back was now towards her, Penelope glared at him, seeing over his shoulder that Dave had caught the look and was similarly upset, though she didn't know why he might be upset with Aaron over those words. "Well, even you have to admit that since Kitten has become close to Strauss, the woman has been easier on our team. You should thank Penelope for that change. I, for one, am going to embrace it with as much gusto as possible."

Penelope shook her head a little as she smiled at him. "Good luck trying to woo her, bucko. I have the feeling that she does not want to even look at another man right now, and I don't blame her in the least. Though I suppose that that might be something interesting to see play out, especially with Jayje gone. We need a little drama to lift our spirits, after all."

He winked at her so quickly she almost missed it before shrugging a little. "Never let it be said that David Rossi backed down from a challenge, Kitten. Every woman likes flowers, right?"

"Well, Erin seems to be partial to living plants, since I've noticed she has at least two bonsai in her office, along with a few succulents at home. If you want an inside tip."

"Have I ever told you that you're a peach?" he replied as he came over to her side and pressed an enthusiastic kiss to each of her kisses. "Though if things end up going well, we'll have to look to you two for examples of how to navigate workplace romances. I mean, you're obviously doing that quite well."

"Yes, well, it works better when my best friend doesn't enter offices without knocking," Hotch said drolly as he wrapped his arm around Penelope's waist possessively. "And we're actually going out on a date tonight, so we won't be able to join you for supper. Can we take a raincheck for that?"

"Of course! You know that you're all welcome at my house at any time. Enjoy your evening, and don't do anything that I wouldn't do." Once more, he waggled his eyebrows at Penelope before he turned and pranced from the room, leaving her feeling decidedly better about things, since she had expected the conversation to quickly go south when Aaron had disparaged Erin.

"Well, we should probably head out before we're visited by another member of our team," she said as she stepped away from Aaron and grabbed her purse from her desk and smiled at him. "Unless you've changed your mind about taking me out?"

"No, I would never waste a free night by changing my mind this late in the game." She let out a mock gasp of indignation before smacking his chest lightly. "I mean, we need to cherish the minutes that we have together alone when we can find them. Especially because it feels like it has been far too long since my hands have touched that soft skin of yours."

"That's better," she purred as she powered down her system and then sashayed out of her office, flipping off the lights before Aaron could follow after her. She was halfway down the stairs before he caught up with her, grabbing hold of her hand possessively, and Penelope smiled to herself as she slowed her step and began to walk in tandem with him out to the elevators. "Is there anything that we should pick up after we eat?"

"Not that I can think of. Why?"

"Eh, I was thinking that honey or whipped cream could be fun. Or was I reading your vibe wrong?"

He cleared his throat and ran his finger along the collar of his shirt before he answered. "No, you were definitely reading things right. But perhaps we should wait to discuss that until we're alone?"

Penelope shrugged a little as she glanced at the two other people in the elevator, seeing that they were both fully occupied by their phones, though Kathe's cheeks were flushed a bit, which might indicate that she had overheard Penelope. Sighing, she stepped closer to her lover and waited quietly as the elevator slid down to the ground floor. After the others had exited the elevator, she took hold of Aaron's hand once more and they walked together to her car. "I'll meet you at the restaurant, then? I don't want to leave Esther here overnight."

"I'll see you there, then," he replied before kissing her cheek quickly. Penelope sighed a little as she watched him make his way over to his vehicle and once he was inside, she slipped behind the wheel of her car and plugged her phone onto the charger before scrolling through her notifications, having felt something buzz against her thigh when Rossi had come into her office.

_Thanks so much for making Mom smile at the concert, Penny! She's always so sad, it seems, but when you're around, that sadness seems to fade away. I think that you're one of the only friends who's bothered to stay in her life after the divorce. And I hope that you don't mind I sniped your phone number from her contacts, since I never thought to ask you for that info! And I don't think Dawn would be very happy if she knew that I was texting you. Anyway, thanks for being Mom's friend, and for caring enough about her and us to rearrange your life at the drop of a hat. _

Though there was nothing to tell her who had sent the text, from the language used she was pretty certain that it was Tabitha, and not Karen, who was so effusive towards her. Smiling, she typed out a fast reply, telling her that that was fine and that she was welcome to text or call at any time if she needed an ear to listen to her. Once that was sent out, Penelope turned on her car and backed out of her spot, driving towards the restaurant with her mind bouncing between all the different things she was feeling. She knew that she should be more focused on her relationship with Aaron, but there was something that pulled her towards Erin at this time in her life. She knew what it was like to be without a friend, and she wouldn't wish that pain on anyone, especially not when she was fighting to keep custody of her children.

Her mind was still preoccupied when she pulled into the parking spot next to Aaron's car and she glanced over at him through her window, seeing that he was on the phone with someone. He looked her way and mouthed Jack, and she nodded as she pulled her phone off the charger and called up her emails, smiling to see that she had a message from Erin. A part of her knew that she would have to answer it before they went into the restaurant, or else not until the morning, but just as her finger hovered over the message, Aaron knocked on her window, and she knew that the message would have to wait until the morning.


End file.
